Medal - Jose Rizal 150th Birth Anniversary

Released to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary, in conjunction with the release of the 1 piso coin bearing rizal's image.

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 a national hero (pambansang bayani) of the Philippines.  An ophthalmologist by profession, Rizal became a writer and a key member of the Filipino Propaganda Movement, which advocated political reforms for the colony under Spain.

He was executed by the Spanish colonial government for the crime of rebellion after the Philippine Revolution broke out; the revolution was inspired by his writings. Though he was not actively involved in its planning or conduct, he ultimately approved of its goals, which eventually resulted in Philippine independence.

Rizal is widely considered one of the greatest heroes of the Philippines and has been recommended to be so honoured by an officially empanelled National Heroes Committee. However, no law, executive order or proclamation has been enacted or issued officially proclaiming any Filipino historical figure as a national hero.  He wrote the novels Noli Me Tángere (1887) and El filibusterismo (1891), which together are taken as a national epic, in addition to numerous poems and essays. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Rizal