His heart belongs to the country where he was born. Whatever is our status in life, we should love our country. According to Rizal, love is a very powerful force. Of all loves, Love of country is the greatest because it has inspired many heroic deeds such as the heroism of Andres Bonifacio, the Supremo of the Katipunan. Many have sacrificed their youth, shed blood or improve their intellect for the sake of the country. He pointed out that that the Philippines is for the Filipinos and not for the despotic Spanish colonizers. Rizal also tells the readers to read about the past, stories of our traditions, so that they would realize that many have sacrificed. Rizal called upon us to bring progress to our country.
The “Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa” is still relevant in today’s society. Our OFW’s are working hard to earn Dollars for the Philippines. Some of us are planning to go abroad for the high salaries to the point that we forgot our country, losing hope that our economy will improve. Many have migrated to other countries for a better life. Why do we need to abandon our country when the resources are already in our country?
We have banana plantations in Mindanao. Metal is abundant. It is a myth that our country is poor. The Philippines was once a large supplier of rice in the world. What happened? We allowed foreign investors to build commercial areas on lands once part of the agricultural sector of the Philippines. College in state universities can show their love of country by studying well in the respective universities that subsidized their tuition fees. After graduation, they should contribute something to the country. It doesn’t need to be in the form of money.
The essay of Rizal opened my mind to remember the past and acknowledge the heroism of our ancestors because of their love of country. Based on the essay, not only did Filipinos shed blood because of their love country, they also harnessed their intelligences to be geniuses. If not for them, there wouldn’t be changes in our society.
