What Makes a Hero?

In the last 10 years, Filipinos have called the attention of the world in various ways. On the negative side, there were crimes and disasters that uniquely took place in the Philippines. On the positive side, many Filipinos proved that if there is one thing the Philippines can take pride in, that is the musical gift of the race. However, less is mentioned about the good deeds of some exemplary Filipinos, as the cliché says, the unsung heroes. What really makes a hero? What brings Jose Rizal on top of all heroes of the Filipinos? Was it his intelligence and willingness to die for his country?


In 2004, a taxi driver in New York drove all the way from New York City to Connecticut to return the US $80,000 worth of jewelry, which is rare black pearls, to his passenger who forgot it at the back seat of his taxi. The passenger offered a reward but the taxi driver refused. Instead, the driver just asked for a refund of his fuel for his travel. The taxi driver, Nestor Sulpico, is a Filipino. In 2008, he died of stomach cancer at his home in Iloilo City but the honor he gave to the country will never die, just like Jose Rizal.

1n 2007, a head waitress in Singapore found in a public toilet near the restaurant where she works a wallet containing 16,000 Singaporean dollars or US $11,000. The waitress immediately handed the wallet to the restaurant manager, who in turn reported the lost money to the mall's management. The owner, an Indonesian woman, said she and her husband earned that money for their son's ear surgery. The waitress, like Sulpico, refused the reward offered by the grateful owner. The waitress is again a Filipino, Marites Galam, a living proof that good judgment of the women of the Philippines are well known, according to Jose Rizal.

Nestor Sulpico and Marites Galam are great examples of the Filipinos doing simple but unforgettable heroism while working in a foreign land. We, Filipinos, are naturally heroic in one way or another. No wonder, in 2009, Efren Penaflorida awarded as CNN Hero. The whole world was impressed by Penaflorida's mission educate street children in his own simple way. As a part of the 150th birth anniversary of our national hero, let us celebrate the heroism not only of Jose Rizal but every Filipino who shows good deeds. An event called Rizal's Journey highlights activities for OFWs and their families through programs like business opportunities, investments and the like.

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