Jose Rizal (June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a nationalist and a main advocate for institutional reform in the Philippines during Spanish colonial rule.  He was the founder of La Liga Filipina, a civic association that promoted the union, protection, and reformation of the Philippine archipelago.  La Liga Filipina later became the parent organization that inspired the Katipunan, the organization that led the Philippine Revolution.  Rizal wrote many social commentaries on the corruption of Spanish rule.  His most famous works were Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.  Both novels disseminated knowledge of Spanish corruption in government and church and inspired revolutionary thought amongst the Filipino people.

In July 1892, Jose Rizal was exiled to Dapitan, Zamboanga after being implicated in the activities of an emerging rebellion.  By 1896, the Katipunan had launched the Philippine Revolution.  Despite his efforts to dissociate himself from the violent movement in a manifesto calling for peaceful reform through education and the establishment of a national identity, Rizal was convicted before a court-martial of rebellion, sedition, and conspiracy through his association with Katipunan members.  On December 30, 1896, Jose Rizal was executed by firing squad and was secretly buried without a grave-marker in Paco Cemetery.  Today, Rizal is well-known as a national hero of the Philippines.  The site of his execution was renamed Rizal Park on his 17th death anniversary (December 30, 1913).  His death anniversary—Araw ng Kabayanihan niJose Rizal—is also celebrated as a Philippine national holiday.