José Rizal

José Protacio Rizal Mercado (June 19, 1861 - December 30, 1896) is the national hero of the Philippines. He was a doctor, a painter, a sculptor, a poet, a dramatist, and a novelist. He also spoke several European languages.

José Rizal was quite known for writing two novels, Noli me Tangere[?] and El Filibusterismo[?], which are social commentaries of the Philippines' under Spanish colonial rule. The Spanish authorities considered these novels as subversive and put Rizal under trial for instigating the Philippine Revolution[?]. He was sentenced to death and was executed by a firing squad in Bagumbayan (now Rizal Park[?]), in Manila.