National Hero of the Philippines

A national hero of the Philippines is a Filipino who has been recognized as a national hero for their role in the history of the Philippines. Loosely, the term may refer to all historical figures recognized as heroes, but the term more strictly refers to those officially designated as such. In 1995 the Philippine National Heroes Committee officially recommended several people for the designation,^[1] but this was not acted upon. As of 2023^[update], no one had ever been officially recognized as a Philippine national hero.^[2]

The reformist writer Jose Rizal, today considered as the quintessential national hero, has never been explicitly proclaimed as such by the Philippine government.^[2] Besides Jose Rizal, the only other Filipino currently given implied recognition as a national hero is Andrés Bonifacio, based on the Philippine government's policy on national holidays. While other historical figures are commemorated in public municipal or provincial holidays. Only Rizal and Andrés Bonifacio to date are commemorated in full or "regular" national holidays- the only ones, based on this metric.^[2] The National Heroes Committee recommended Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, Apolinario Mabini, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat, Juan Luna, Melchora Aquino, and Gabriela Silang to be recognized as national heroes on November 15, 1995.^[2] No action was taken on the recommendation.