CEBU CITY, Philippines – Google Philippines featured a special doodle of country’s national hero, Jose Rizal, in celebration of his 158th birthday on Wednesday, June 19, 2019.
The static doodle illustrates a portrait of Rizal, a quill pen, and a magnifying glass.
It also portrays some texts from the national hero’s two notable literary works, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, that inspired the Philippine nationalist movement.
Rizal was born in Calamba, Laguna on June 19, 1861.
The popular search engine also shared a summary of Rizal’s life in a press statement .
“Educated in Manila, Rizal traveled overseas to study philosophy and medicine at the University of Madrid, the University of Paris, and the University of Heidelberg. Inspired by his mother’s failing eyesight, he trained under prominent European ophthalmologists Louis de Wecker and Otto Becker and became an accomplished eye surgeon,” it said.
“While living in Europe for a decade, he began publishing a series of works—including Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not) and El filibusterismo (The Reign of Greed)—that established him as a leading voice for reform in his homeland. His translation of Antonio De Morga’s 1609 Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas highlighted the achievements of Filipino society prior to Spanish colonization,” it added.
Last June 12, Google also featured a special doodle of the Philippine flag in celebration of the country’s 121st Independence Day. /bmjo