The Rizal Monument in Calamba is a monument built to commemorate the sesquicentennial (150th) birth anniversary of Dr. José Rizal, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

' unofficial national hero and the greatest son of Calamba. It is a statue sculpted by Jonas Roces and is located at The Plaza, a park in front of the Calamba City Hall Complex along Bacnotan Road in the barangay of

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. President

Benigno Aquino III Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...

led the unveiling of the monument on June 19, 2011. The monument was cited as the tallest Rizal monument in the world before former Laguna Governor Jeorge 'E.R.' Ejercito Estregan inaugurated a 26 feet bronze Rizal Monument sculpted by

Toym Imao Abdulmari de Leon Imao, Jr. (born 1968), better known by either Toym Leon Imao or Toym Imao, is a Filipino multi-media visual artist whose art is known for its commentary on Filipino social conditions, as well as for its pop culture sensibilities ...

, son of National Artist for Sculpture Abdulmari Asia Imao in

Santa Cruz, Laguna Santa Cruz, officially the Municipality of Santa Cruz ( tgl, Bayan ng Santa Cruz), is a first class municipality and capital of the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 123,574 people. Santa C ...

, for the

2014 Palarong Pambansa The 2014 Palarong Pambansa (also known as the 2014 PALARO) is the 57th edition of the annual multi-sporting event for Filipino student-athletes. Held in Santa Cruz, Laguna last 10–16 May 2014. 12,000 student-athletes from 17 regions of the ...

hosted by the province.

Symbolisms

The statue depicts Rizal holding a book in his right hand and is made of bronze. It stands 22 feet (6.7 meters) which symbolizes the 22 languages and dialects Rizal mastered during his time such as

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and others. It is placed on top of a 2.8 meter podium consisting of 15-step stairway which symbolizes one decade since Rizal was born in 1861. It also has a granite pedestal of 7.87 feet and a 13.12 feet circular stairway base. The monument's total height is 43 feet (equivalent to a four-storey building) and its weight is 2 tons.

History

The City Government of Calamba, through the leadership of then Mayor Joaquin Chipeco started the idea of building the tallest Rizal monument as a gift of the people of Calamba as a tribute to its greatest son. He realized that it is proper and fitting to have the tallest monument in honor of Rizal in his hometown. Together with the local government unit of Calamba, the

Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR, ) is a government-owned and controlled corporation established through the ''Presidential Decree 1869''. PAGCOR is the Philippines' largest contributor of revenue to the government after the ...

(PAGCOR) initially funded the construction of the Rizal Monument. A young sculptor Jonas F. Roces from

Marikina Marikina (), officially the City of Marikina ( fil, Lungsod ng Marikina), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 456,159 people. It is loca ...

was commissioned to build the Rizal monument in December 2010. The original plan was to build a 16.4 feet monument. However, then Mayor Chipeco learned that the monument being sculpted is behind the current tallest Rizal monument in

Nueva Vizcaya Nueva Vizcaya, officially the Province of Nueva Vizcaya ( ilo, Probinsia ti Nueva Vizcaya; gad, Probinsia na Nueva Vizcaya; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Nueva Vizcaya''; tl, Lalawigan ng Nueva Vizcaya ), is a landlocked province in the ...

built by a

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

ian national. Three months before the official unveiling, the ''Rizal@150 ''Executive Committee increased the height of the monument to 22 feet. It was officially unveiled by President

on June 19, 2011, on the sesquicentennial birth anniversary of Rizal. It consists of two markers from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and from the City Government of Calamba.

Management

The Rizal Monument and Plaza is managed by the local government unit of Calamba.

References

External links

{{Calabarzon attractions Shrine, Calamba Buildings and structures in Calamba, Laguna Marked Historical Structures of the Philippines Tourist attractions in Laguna (province) Monuments and memorials in the Philippines

Symbolisms

History

Management

See also

References

External links