The Rizal Monument in Daet, Camarines Norte was the first monument built to honor

José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is considered the national he ...

, and is the oldest surviving such monument in the Philippines. It was designed by Lt. Colonel Antonio Sanz with the help of Ildefonso Alegre of the Philippine Revolutionary Army and through the financial contributions of the locals of Camarines Norte. The three-tiered stone pylon with its square base supporting a triangle in two stages was the first monument and memorial marker in memory of the Philippines' National Hero.

History

The construction of the memorial marker started on December 30, 1898, 2 years after the death of Rizal and in compliance with a decree of Gen.

Emilio Aguinaldo Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (: March 22, 1869February 6, 1964) was a Filipino revolutionary, statesman, and military leader who is the youngest president of the Philippines (1899–1901) and is recognized as the first president of the Philippine ...

to observe the said date as a national holiday in the "Free Philippines."Supetran, Bernard
"Jose Rizal's first monument revisited"
'' Philippine Star'', Philippines, December 29, 2008. Retrieved on December 29, 2008. It was declared as a historical landmark in 1961 by the

National Historical Commission The National Historical Commission of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Komisyong Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas, abbreviated NHCP) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of history of the Philippines, Philippine ...

and was declared a national monument on July 9, 2008, by virtue of Resolution No. 12 by the National Historical Institute (now the

National Historical Commission of the Philippines The National Historical Commission of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Komisyong Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas, abbreviated NHCP) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural herita ...

Parts of the memorial

Standing at about 20 feet, the three-tiered stone pylon has a cube for a base, a three-sided pyramid in the middle, and a triangular pyramid which tapers off to a point at the top. Pinned on top is an eight-ray sun and on each of the three sides (middle) is a bas-relief of a golden star. The famous "Three Stars and a Sun" was originally a symbol of the Katipuneros fighting for the independence of the country. The phrase "A Jose Rizal" (To Jose Rizal) can be found on two of the sides of the middle tier (no inscription at the back). The podium was inscribed with the titles and publication year of Rizal's novels: "Noli Me Tangere" (1887), "El Filibusterismo" (1891), and "Morga" (1889). The last is not really an original but an annotation of Antonio de Morga's "Sucesos De Las Islas Filipinas" (1609), which he copied verbatim from the British Museum.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:First Jose Rizal Monument, Daet Monument, Camarines Norte Buildings and structures in Camarines Norte First monument, Rizal Tourist attractions in Camarines Norte National Historical Landmarks of the Philippines