Davao’s first monument dedicated to the memory of Dr. Jose P. Rizal used to stand on the rotunda at the junction of Magallanes (Pichon Sr.) Street and Claveria (Recto) Street. This is the same site where a Bonifacio statue now proudly stands. Exactly when the Rizal statue was erected remains a focus of a hunt. What is clear, though, is that it was constructed before the Commonwealth was inaugurated.
The lost Rizal sculpture, painted in a traditional white hue, shows the national hero in his overcoat, his arms resting over the navel area, his cupped fingers holding both ends of what looks like a book. It is different from the postwar figures where the hero is depicted as having a book with his folded right arm or sitting on a stool holding a quill and writing.
With his familiar hairstyle that parts on the right side of the temple, Rizal stands erect in his trademark greatcoat, his body facing towards the provincial and municipal halls.
The monument, removed from its pedestal in the late 1950s, has a lower base with three steps that afford ease during wreath-laying rites. There were two layers separating the lower base from the landing of the second base, where the die rests.
On both sides of the lower base were circular features for flowers and ornamentals. On the die, which is at the center between the lower platform and the plinth, are letters, probably the year of erection, in Roman alphabets, or most likely the marker of the monument.
Standing on the upper part of the lower base are eight mounted bowls or vases equally distributed around the monument to form an octagon. These are shaped from floral petals design. Meanwhile, between the cap and the plinth (the upper section of the die) are curved designs with ends connecting to form perfect squares around the platform where the monument stands.
Interestingly, the hunt for the historical Rizal monument has become a curiosity for those who want to see the original statue. Reports of the sculpture being moved to the cities of Mati and Cotabato persist, but the published pictures do not fit the suspected monuments.
The move to institutionalize the martyrdom of Rizal is not an American initiative. As early as December 20, 1898, then-president Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo already issued a proclamation declaring December 30 as a day of mourning for Rizal and other patriots who offered their lives in the name of freedom during the Spanish rule.
In response to public clamor, Act No. 243, signed on September 28, 1901, was passed by the US-constituted Philippine Commission granting the right to use the public land in Luneta for the Rizal monument commemorating the national hero’s memory, stipulating that the memorial does not only bear his statue but also houses his remains.
Even during the Japanese rule, the June 19 birthday of Dr. Rizal was still celebrated in Davao City. The imperial administration used the occasion to show unity with the Filipinos and to convey a semblance of empathy with the local residents who were furious of the atrocities committed towards Davaoeños. But the event was only held in 1944, a year after the colonists reorganized the Philippine government under President Jose Protacio Laurel. The following year, the celebration was scrapped despite the liberation because the city was in utter ruins.
After the conflict, more laws were enacted to honor Rizal, such as Republic Act 229, which prohibits the holding of cockfights, horse races, and jai-alai every December 30 throughout the country and requires that flags be at half-staff during the day.
RA 1425 or the Jose Rizal Law, approved on June 12, 1956, makes the reading of Rizal’s life and works a compulsory topic to be included in all school curricula. The lack of educators to ably handle the subject has made the exercise less efficient and ineffective.
