“Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan.” These immortal words of Dr. Jose Rizal have echoed across classrooms, street rallies, campaign speeches, and graduation stages. But more than a quote for posters and sashes, this line remains a living challenge. Is Rizal still relevant today? If you ask the collective voices of Groups 1 to 10 during the Inner Conditioning Workshop for the Youth, the answer is a resounding, “YES, sobra pa sa yes!”

Rizal: Rebel with a Pen

In a world where Facebook likes often weigh more than civic duty, Rizal reminds us that the pen is mightier than the algorithm. Through Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, Rizal exposed a corrupt colonial government, challenged religious hypocrisy, and portrayed a people paralyzed by fear yet aching for freedom. Fast-forward to today, Group 10 boldly points out: “Ang sulat ni Rizal about sa corruption nga gatabo sa aton—same is happening right now.” Rizal may have died in 1896, but his words continue to resonate in every timeline of truth.

Rizal, in his letter to the young women of Malolos, wrote:

“Ignorance is bondage because like mind, like man.”
It was his way of saying: wake up, speak up, rise up. And the youth today, armed with smartphones and voter IDs, are doing just that.

Mind over Muscle: Nonviolent Revolution

Group 8 hit the nail on the head: “Hindi kailangan ang dahas para makatulong sa bayan.” Rizal believed that education, not violence, would liberate the Filipino people. El Filibusterismo’s Simoun might have turned to revenge, but Rizal himself stood by the power of enlightened resistance. And when he wrote Mi Último Adiós, it wasn’t a farewell—it was a call to action wrapped in poetry.

“I die without seeing the dawn brighten over my native land. You who will see it, welcome it for me… do not forget those who fell during the night.”

Today’s dawn is in the hands of the young. You, the TikTok generation, the community volunteers, the new voters, are the “you who will see it.”

History as a Compass, Not a Museum

Group 1 reminded us: “Lahat ng university, private or public, dapat may subject sa Life and Works of Rizal.” Why? Because Rizal is not just part of the past; he is the lens to understand our present and shape our future.

And just like how he’s immortalized on the ₱1 coin, Rizal’s legacy is daily currency, not just a historical relic. If the youth knows Rizal, they know their roots, their rights, and their role.

Voices of Hope from the Ground

Group 5—composed of nanays and titas—shared a sincere concern:
“Paano kung hindi na sumusunod ang kabataan sa magulang?”

But hope overruled hesitation:
“Nag-aalinlangan kami pero umaasa kami sa inyo.”
That trust is not blind. It is born from watching the youth lead climate strikes, organize donation drives, and elect leaders like Senators Kiko and Bam, whom Group 10 proudly noted were endorsed by the youth and won.

Group 4 called Rizal the “mirror of hope.” And that’s exactly what he was: a reflection of what we are capable of becoming if we act with courage and conscience.

Rizal Reimagined: Data Doesn’t Lie

• According to COMELEC 2022, 43% of registered voters in the Philippines are youth (ages 18–35).
• According to a 2023 Pulse Asia survey, the majority of Filipinos believe that knowing our history is key to protecting democracy.
• Studies on the Rizal Law (RA 1425) show that students who engage with Rizal’s works show higher levels of civic engagement and nationalism.

Rizal is not a requirement; he is a reminder. Of what we once were, and what we still can be.

One Question Remains: Kaya pa ba natin?

Group 7 bravely asked:
“Kaya ba nating makipaglaban para sa bayan?”
And the answer, drawn from the collective wisdom of all the youth groups, is clear: Yes. Yes, we can. Yes, we must.

Because if Rizal once dreamed of a nation free from fear and full of promise, then we are the dream’s continuation. We are the sequel he never got to write.

So, is Rizal still relevant?

As long as there is injustice to expose, truth to tell, and youth willing to stand up, Rizal is not just relevant. He is alive.

“To foretell the destiny of a nation, it is necessary to open the book that tells of her past.” – José Rizal

Let’s not just open the book—let’s become the next chapter.