Remembering Rizal: Klays Of Today

It is indeed saddening to see the decline of historical knowledge in today’s generation - it appears that the country’s educational system has slipped to such a low level that it will soon lose its own identity.

Can you observe how only a little would prefer immersing themselves in books rather than rolling papers and popping bottles? Similarly, between educational literature and worldly desires, it is expected that children and youth would rather be with their phones 24/7 than reading historical accounts like Noli Me Tangere or El Filibusterismo. This behavior is mirrored in Klay, a character in GMA’s television series Maria Clara at Ibarra, who initially never saw the importance of the said books. Today that we commemorate Dr. Jose Rizal’s death anniversary; efforts are doubled to inculcate nationalism among the children and youth of today, why our national hero selflessly endured persecution for his countrymen’s sake.

It was just months ago when social media was shaken by the answers of Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition participants in one of the reality program's challenges wherein “MaJoHa” was her claim as she identifies the three martyr priests who were beheaded during Rizal’s time. Meanwhile, in an episode of Manila Insider where young people’s basic knowledge about Philippine history were tested, it was further proven that it is high time to reform the country’s educational system into one that highlights the struggle of our ancestors just to pave the way for our freedom. Unlike Klay who had the chance to travel back in time to experience the struggles of the Filipino people in the arms of the Spaniards, we can only do so much.

Good thing that Filipinos are now on the move to recalibrate this system, albeit gradual. In media platforms like Tiktok and Facebook, game filters are created to instill even a bit of historical accounts to netizens by just scrolling through their phones. In Twitter, historians freely share their sound knowledge that were never put in textbooks. In TVs, audiences are now hooked on how important details on Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo were retained in GMA’s adaptation of Maria Clara and Ibarra. While these microefforts could not suffice the martyrdom of Jose Rizal then, it should be recognized that the battle towards reclaiming our history is not a battle to be won overnight. With collective efforts, we’d see the love of Filipinos for history come back in no time.

It is the transition of a child’s mind to adult that makes it bendable. While it may be hard to tame at the beginning, it’s easy control once you get hang of it. It should be reiterated that it is never wrong to choose social life - fun and games. But entertainment should never, ever, come with the expense of losing one’s identity.

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐾𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦, 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠, 𝑖𝑠 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒; 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑠 ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑎𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑟𝑦.

𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗗𝘆𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝘇𝗮𝗻̃𝗮, 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗯𝗲́ 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁

Original Publish Date: December 30, 2022