RIZAL @ 150 YEARS OLD

The only photo of Jose Rizal smiling.

Jose Rizal the original traveler on a shoestring will be celebrating his 150th birth year on June 19, 2011. Pres. Noynoy Aquino declared June 20, 2011 as a special non-working day as requested by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

"To give all Filipinos the opportunity to commemorate Rizal’s patriotic deeds and sacrifices for the country, rekindle their admiration and respect for him, and to celebrate this milestone with appropriate ceremonies."

Who could forget that during his travels all over the world that he had a can of biscuits which he budgeted to last for a month. 

Rizal was a penny-pincher! Lol!  A real traveler on a shoestring!

As chronicled in Ambeth Ocampo's Rizal Without the Overcoat. Rizal was once invited to a New Year's potluck party where he was assigned to bring champagne. He did not like the idea, and throughout the merrymaking, he lectured everybody and advised against drinking, gambling and womanizing—the key points of the night. Then, Rizal stood up, announced that "inabonohan niya lang" and requested everybody to pay their share of the champagne bill. Stunned, the partygoers thought it was a joke—until pre-national hero Rizal passed his hat around.

Before checking into a hotel, Rizal would also ask the front desk how much the rate was with and without breakfast. He usually opted for the latter and used the money saved to buy alcohol, tea or biscuits.

Another "kuripot" story made its way to the pages of Leon Ma. Guerrero's First Filipino. Rizal supposedly survived on P50 a month in Europe, and he once wrote his sister Maria in December saying that he had not taken a bath since August, because it was "really expensive." That's four (4) long months! Whew!

Stingy as he seemed to be, however, he set aside funds for photographs. Ocampo published a list of Rizal's monthly expenses and there was an allocated amount for photographs.

   For more details regarding this photo contest pls visit this.

As a Filipino you must know our National Hero lolo Jose! Get your Rizal passport @ DOTand retrace his footsteps, now na, go!

                   You can have your passport cum brochure stamp in all 27 places that Lolo Jose had been to.

Backpacking to retrace Lolo Jose’s footprints may be a better and pleasurable way of knowing the national hero than simply reading history books.
 
The Department of Tourism is encouraging Filipinos to travel around the country, with a “Rizal passport” in hand, and explore designated age-old churches, train stations, parks and little-known beaches, among others, seen through Rizal’s eyes.

The first 100 tourists to visit all 27 designated destinations connected to Rizal’s childhood and journey to martyrdom may present their passports with the appropriate stamps to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines to win an official “Kalakbay ni Gat Jose Rizal” certificate and other tokens.