Vice President Maria Leonor 'Leni' Robredo leads the wreath laying ceremony of National Hero Jose Rizal at his monument in Luneta on Sunday, Dec. 30, 2018, in commemoration of his 122nd year of martyrdom. PHOTO BY RUSSELL PALMAVICE President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo on Sunday urged the people to remember that the 'true meaning' of freedom as envisioned by national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, 'goes hand in hand with integrity and kindness.'“In these times when ruthless practicality is foisted on us as virtue, and when respect for individual dignity is maligned as weakness, Rizal stands as a reminder that true freedom always goes hand in hand with kindness and integrity,” Robredo said in her message to mark the 122nd anniversary of Rizal's death.The Vice President led the wreath-laying and flag-raising ceremonies in front of the Rizal Monument at the Luneta Park to commemorate Rizal’s martyrdom.Robredo, a staunch critic of the administration’s drug war and other policies, quoted a “moving”passage from Rizal’s novel El Filibusterismo:“Hate never produces anything but monsters and crime criminals! Love alone realizes wonderful works, virtue alone can save! No, if our country has ever to be free, it will not be through vice and crime, it will not be so by corrupting its sons, deceiving some and bribing others, no! Redemption presupposes virtue, virtue sacrifice, and sacrifice love!”She then called on the Filipinos to find within themselves “the courage and serenity to work for his vision of a Philippines free from hate, division, and tyranny, and where the dignity of every Filipino is upheld.”“Ultimately, we must be the change we wish to see,” Robredo added.Later today, President Rodrigo Duterte will commemorate Rizal’s death anniversary in his hometown in Davao City.Rizal was executed for sparking a Philippine revolution against the Spanish government through his literary works to achieve the country’s freedom.
