from Rene Velazquez

Enfin, one should think Rizal’s most important legacy is not his nationalism ― the cornerstone on which somehow the edifice of his status as hero is built ― but it is rather the inspirational value of his drive for knowledge which led him in many different directions. He was an unusually talented man who achieved much ― someone to admire but certainly not deify. In common parlance, he did more with what he had. His greatest appeal is that he was all too human and yet . . . . One would think that should be enough.

The phenomenon that was Rizal’s life was perhaps best encapsulated by Ante Radaic in the seemingly contradictory title of his book: Rizal, Romántico Realista.

(This is the last paragraph of Mr. Velazquez's long but brilliant letter.-GCA).