Jose P. Rizal and continuing relevance

	Knights of Rizal member Kenn Green with Levy Abad

by Levy Abad

On December 30, 2025, I was invited by Sir Mohammed Alli, a long-time member of the Knights of Rizal - Winnipeg (KoR) and Deputy Chapter Commander, to attend the 129th martyrdom event honouring the Philippine national hero at the Philippine Canadian Centre of Manitoba (PCCM).

Included in the program was the Youth Recognition Awards.

It was great to see some KoR brothers and sisters like Ray Sator, Winnipeg Chapter Commander, Sir Anthony Quejano, Jaypee Pamintuan, Sir Joel Duque, Sir Kenn Green, Lady Babe Luna-Green, Sir Nap Ebora, Fernando Dalayoan (former FMAACI officer), Ann Evangelista (WSD Trustee for Ward 9) and Sir Dante Aviso, School Board trustee for Ward 5, who staged a short play, Perla Javate of the Philippine Heritage Council of Manitoba, Sir Mervin Sison, who, together with his friends, performed several classical pieces, Sir Dr. Tom Colina and Sir Jose Bonifacio Casares III (Barrister-Casares Law Office). The presentations lent cultural depth to the event.

For the benefit of the second-generation migrants, Jose Rizal was a reformer during the reign of Spanish colonialism in the Philippines for over 300 years. Rizal was an ilustrado intellectual who wrote two novels, which exposed the grave social issues of his time, titled Noli Me Tangere(Touch me not) and El Filibusterismo (The Subversive). These two critical literary works earned him the ire of colonial authorities, which led to his martyrdom.

Rizal’s execution shattered the illusion of the possibility of reforming colonialism. His death gave life by inspiration to the revolution of 1896, led by the great plebeian Andres Bonifacio, founder of the Katipunan, a revolutionary group inspired by the French Revolution.

Although the death of Rizal led to the end of Spanish colonialism, unfortunately, another imperialist country took over (maybe a topic for another article). Before 1896, Rizal founded the La Liga Filipina to be a tool for reform. The group was comprised of ilustrados and those of plebeian origin. Later, when Rizal was martyred, the ilustrados vacillated in their response to the cry of the people for freedom. On the other hand, it was the members who came from the toiling and oppressed masses that rose and called for armed revolution, thus lending concretization to the ideas in the Noli and El Filibusterismo.

Knights of Rizal Winnipeg Chapter was formed through the initiative of the late Honorary Consul General Dr. Roland Guzman. The group was launched on December 30, 1991, at Casa Bueno, Henry Street, marking Rizal’s death anniversary. The formal induction of the members was held the following year on June 19 (Filipino Journal, February 1-15, 1992, p. 21).

Going back to the KoR event, upon arriving at the centre, I saw Sir Kenn Green. Sir Kenn, Sir Mohammed Alli, and I used to have coffee together and discuss books on philosophy, ideology, reform and revolution at the house of Sir Felino De Jesus (Western Canada Region Commander) several years back. Kenn offered some of his books on Jose Rizal. I suggested that it would be nice to have a table of books on Rizal during Knights of Rizal events, or organize an event with speakers on Rizal’s ideas, their importance in the homefront and diaspora struggles of our people.

As a member of the Knights of Rizal, I appreciate the presence of my NDP brothers and sisters in the person of MLA Diljeet Brar (Burrows constituency), Hon. Mintu Sandhu (MLA for The Maples and the Minister of Public Service Delivery), and Jelynn Dela Cruz (MLA for Radisson). On the Liberal side, there were Federal Member of Parliament Kevin Lamoureux and Cindy Lamoureux (MLA, Tyndall Park). Also present were City Councillors Markus Chambers (Deputy Mayor; St. Norbert- Seine River) and Vivian Santos (Point Douglas Ward). These are some of the community leaders who work hard for their constituents and have a grasp of the importance of the programs and ideals of the Knights of Rizal.

As an offshoot of the event, at the recent meeting of the Board of Directors of the Filipino Music and Arts Canada Inc. (FMAACI), we explored the possibility of collaborating with KoR in organizing a poetry night, focused on the works of Jose Rizal, such as Mi Ultimo Adios, a poem that he wrote hours before he was executed. The novels of Jose Rizal and their relevance in the latest struggles of the Filipino people in the homefront and diaspora were also part of the conversation. It is my wish that Rizal’s ideas live on, and the Knights of Rizal as an organization continue to be socially relevant.