Colonization of the Philippine archipelago began from the time of its discovery on August 7, 1521, when Spanish navigators led by F. Magellan installed a large wooden cross on the island of Cebu, thereby confirming the ownership of these lands to the Spanish crown. The process of colonization of the country of seven thousand islands ended with a long war of 1565-1571. Since then, several centuries have passed, during which the Filipinos repeatedly rose up to fight for their independence. Two names that are especially revered in the Philippines are Lapu-Lapu and Jose Rizal. The first fought with the Spaniards in the XVI century, according to one of the legends, personally defeated Magellan in battle. Jose Rizal led the liberation movement in the second half of the 19th century and went down in the history of the country as an outstanding educator who, in his books, articles and poems, awakened the national consciousness of the people and inspired them to fight against colonialism. His research areas included history, philosophy, medicine, and linguistics. Rizal spoke 20 foreign languages, including Russian, and, according to contemporaries, had phenomenal abilities.

Our pictures show postage stamps dedicated to the life and work of Jose Rizal. The first series of five stamps was issued in 1961 to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth. These postage signs tell us about the city of Calamba, where he was born, about his parents, about his student years in Manila at the university's Faculty of Medicine. It was then that he wrote his famous ode To the Philippine Youth, passionately encouraging his peers to fight for national unity.

An important event in Rizal's life was his trip to Spain. At the University of Madrid, he graduated from two faculties - medical and philosophical. Then he worked as a doctor, traveled a lot to other European countries. In Spain, he established contacts with Filipino emigrants, preparing plans for the liberation of the motherland with them. One of the postage stamps shows Rizal meeting with friends, including Juan Luna and Felix Hidalgo, famous Filipino artists. Rizal also collaborated with such prominent figures of the national liberation movement as Marcelo del Pilar and Lopez Jaena, General Antonio Luna. The postage stamps of the Philippines issued in 1952 and 1958 are dedicated to them. In 1887, Rizal published the novel "Don't Touch Me" in Spain, in which he made sharp denunciations of the colonial administration and clergy. A few years later, his new book "Filibusters" was published-about the uprising of 1872, whose leaders Jose Bourgas, Mariano Gomez and Jacinto Zamora were executed. Portraits of patriots were also reproduced on Philippine stamps from 1972.

Rizal's books were banned, but they were smuggled into the Philippines and distributed illegally. The success of Rizal's works was extraordinary, which infuriated the colonialists. They burned down Rizal's house, forced his parents to leave their homeland. In 1892, Jose Rizal obtained permission to return to the country with hopes of its liberation. He believed that with the help of democratic reforms and education of the people, independence could be achieved. This was the program of the underground organization "Philippine League"created by him. On behalf of the organization, Rizal addressed the people with a letter known as "To My compatriots". Two stamps from 1952 are dedicated to this document. The Spanish authorities responded to the patriots ' activities with repressions, arrests and executions. On December 30, 1896, Rizal was executed by firing squad. His execution is depicted on the last stamp of the series. This day is celebrated in the Philippines as Rizal Day. At the place of execution, a majestic monument was erected, depicted on a postage stamp of 1947.

To mark the 50th anniversary of Rizal's death, a stamp of interest with its overprint was published in the Philippines. It was placed on postage thumbnails in such a way that the word PHILIPPINES covered the inscription UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. In 1949, a stamp with the cover image of Rizal's book "Don't Touch Me"was put into circulation. Two stamps from 1962 describe Rizala as an athlete. He was a good chess player and promoted this game among his fellow citizens. Another stamp shows Rizal holding a rapier. In 1966, two stamps were issued with portraits of the country's heroes. One of them shows a miniature image of Jose Rizal.

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