Jose Rizal gets tribute from Google for his birth anniversary

MANILA, Philippines — Google on Wednesday paid a tribute to Filipino author and physician Jose Rizal on his 158th birthday with a doodle.

An illustration of Rizal with a quill and a magnifying glass—two images that celebrated his two crafts—greet Philippine-based Google users on June 19.

The hero was born on June 19, 1861 in Calamba, Laguna.

A click on the doodle would lead news and articles about the celebrated Filipino hero.

Google shared that Rizal, who learned to read and write by the tender age of five, went to study in Manila and then overseas to study philosophy and medicine at the University of Madrid, the University of Paris, and the University of Heidelberg.

“Inspired by his mother’s failing eyesight, he trained under prominent European ophthalmologists Louis de Wecker and Otto Becker and became an accomplished eye surgeon,” it added.

The search engine also paid tribute to the writings of Rizal which spurred the Philippine revolution.

“While living in Europe for a decade, he began publishing a series of works—including Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) and El Filibusterismo (The Reign of Greed)—that established him as a leading voice for reform in his homeland,” it said.

It also noted that Rizal’s translation of 1609 Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas written by Antonio De Morga “highlighted the achievements of Filipino society prior to Spanish colonization.”

“A frequent contributor to La Solidaridad, a newspaper published in Barcelona, Rizal advocated for the Philippines to be integrated as a province of Spain, represented in the Spanish parliament, and for its citizens to be granted such basic rights as freedom of assembly and expression, and equality under the law,” it also said.

Google noted Rizal as a national hero, but the National Commission for Culture and the Arts said that there is “no law, executive order or proclamation” issued to proclaim any Filipino historical figure as a national hero.