According to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, there is no law, executive order or proclamation that has been enacted or issued proclaiming any Filipino historical figure as a national hero. “Even Jose Rizal, considered as the greatest among the Filipino heroes, was not explicitly proclaimed as a national hero. But while there is a no official declaration explicitly proclaiming him as a national hero, there are two orders honoring Rizal as a historical figure. National Heroes CommitteeFormer President Fidel Ramos issued an executive order to create a National Heroes Committee, which is mandated to study, evaluate and recommend Filipino heroes in recognition of their exceptional character and remarkable achievements for the country. The committee recommended nine Filipino historical figures to be national heroes: Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, Apolinario Mabini, Marcelo del Pilar, Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat, Juan Luna, Melchor Aquino and Gabriela Silang.

Source: Philippine Star June 19, 2019 03:06 UTC