15/08/2026
๐๐ข๐ณ๐๐ฅ: ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ง๐จ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ง ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฒ
Beyond its towering 46-foot figure, Rizal: El Dapitanon is envisioned as more than a landmark. It is a historical and cultural space where art, architecture, science, technology, nature, and memory come together to tell a distinctly Dapitanon story of Dr. Jose P. Rizal.
But with monuments to Rizal already standing across the countryโand even here in Dapitanโone question deserves to be asked:
๐ช๐๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ง๐จ๐?
Perhaps the better question is: Has there ever been a monument in Dapitan that truly captures the Rizal whom Dapitanons learned to love?
Not Rizal the novelist. Not the educated ilustrado who returned from Europe. Not the familiar figure in an overcoat, formal vest, and European attire that we repeatedly see in monuments throughout the Philippines.
But Rizal the man who lived among our people, among DAPITANONS.
The physician who treated ordinary Dapitanons. The teacher who taught their children. The farmer, scientist, engineer, entrepreneur, and community builder who worked with his hands, walked among the people, and became part of the life of Dapitan.
๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐๐น๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฎ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ๐๐ฒ๐น๐๐ฒ๐?
If we are to heed the advice of our Honorable Vice Mayor Gabriel M. Cad that our efforts to preserve and strengthen our heritage must begin with what is most familiar to our people, then there is no better place to begin than with Jose Rizal. But we must present him in a way that is ours, different from what is seen elsewhere and even different from the Rizal monuments we already have in Dapitan.
That is the purpose of Rizal: El Dapitanon.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
The project is being pursued under the leadership of City Mayor Evelyn โBelenโ T. Uy, who pushed for a monument that would not simply add another structure to the city, but would tell a deeper story about Rizal and his relationship with Dapitan and its people.
Behind the project is also the sustained work of the City Engineering Office, headed by Engr. Jose Roy Amador, and the City Tourism Office, headed by Jervie Q. Padrones. Their teams have worked extended hours in coordinating the engineering, heritage, tourism, architectural, artistic, and technological requirements necessary to move this landmark project forward.
And this is only the beginning.
Rizal: El Dapitanon is the first of many heritage projects envisioned under the administration of Mayor Belen. The task of giving proper recognition to the people and communities that shaped Dapitanโs history will continue, with projects honoring Datu Pagbuaya, our Subanen heritage, and the many other personalities and stories that form the rich tapestry of Dapitanon culture.
If we are serious about protecting our heritage, then we must do it properly, and we believe Dapitan is moving in the right direction.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
The monument does not stand alone. Architect Frattiane Triambulo, architect of the rotunda, designed the space so that the architecture and landscape become part of the storytelling.
At its center is an eight-sided octagonal base, conceived not simply as a pedestal but as an interpretive space. Three sides will carry bas-relief artworks portraying Rizalโs varied contributions during his years in Dapitan, while the remaining sides will feature historical and commemorative markers, information on the technology behind the project, and portions of Rizalโs poem associated with his life in Dapitan.
The surrounding landscape extends that narrative through a carefully planned vegetation, pathways, and sculptural representations inspired by the flora, fauna, and scientific discoveries connected with Rizalโs work as a naturalist.
The result is intended to transform the rotunda itself into an open-air experience where visitors do not merely look at Rizal, they discover his story.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
At the heart of the project is the sculpture by Prof. Jose Manuel โManoloโ Sicat of the UP Diliman College of Fine Arts.
His interpretation deliberately moves away from the conventional image of Rizal seen in monuments throughout the country.
Here, Rizal is not dressed in his familiar European overcoat. He wears a simple camisa de chino, plain trousers, and shoes, his sleeves rolled up as though ready to work. He holds in his hand his poem for Dapitan, while his gaze looks outward, contemplative yet purposeful.
It is an image of a man who did not remain distant from the community that received him.
It is Rizal the Dapitanon, the man who healed, taught, planted, built, studied, discovered, and lived among the people.
This is the Rizal that this monument seeks to reclaim.
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ง
What makes Rizal: El Dapitanon even more significant is the way the project brings heritage preservation together with Filipino science, technology, and innovation.
The City Government gratefully recognizes the support of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), under the leadership of Secretary Dr. Renato U. Solidum Jr., together with DOST Undersecretary for Regional Operations Engr. Sancho A. Mabborang, and DOST Zamboanga del Norte Provincial Director Nuhman Aljani, whose support and coordination helped bring national scientific and technological expertise closer to the realization of this landmark project in Dapitan.
Through the collaboration with DOST and its Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMCen), Rizal: El Dapitanon demonstrates how modern additive manufacturing and 3D-printing technologies can extend beyond conventional industrial applications and become powerful tools for culture, public art, heritage interpretation, and historical preservation.
This partnership is especially fitting for a monument dedicated to Rizal, a man who himself valued science, knowledge, creativity, and innovation, and who consistently placed these in the service of the community. In bringing advanced Filipino technology into a project rooted deeply in Dapitanโs history, Rizal: El Dapitanon becomes not only a tribute to the past, but also a reflection of how innovation can help preserve heritage for future generations.
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
Rizal: El Dapitanon is not another Rizal statue.
It is Dapitan reclaiming its own story of Rizal.
It is an attempt to show future generations not merely the national hero they read about in books, but the man their ancestors encountered, worked with, learned from, and learned to love.
Through the leadership of Mayor Belen and the City Administration; the work of the City Engineering and City Tourism Offices; the designs of Architect Frattiane Triambulo and Prof. Manolo Sicat; and the technological partnership of DOST and AMCen, Dapitan is bringing together history, art, architecture, science, and technology in one landmark.
And as Dapitan moves forward with the stories of Datu Pagbuaya, the Subanen people, and the many others who built the cityโs history, Rizal: El Dapitanon stands as the beginning of a larger commitment:
๐๐จ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ ๐, ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ง๐จ๐ง ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก๐ฒ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ง๐ก๐๐ซ๐ข๐ญ ๐ข๐ญ.
