WHEREAS, the 19th day of June of 1961 will be the First Centennary of the birth of Jose Rizal, apostle of Filipino nationalism, martyr and hero;

WHEREAS, Jose Rizal gladly dedicated his whole life in order to secure for his countrymen the blessings of individual freedom and good government;

WHEREAS, through his incessant labors he enriched our cultural personality and thereby enhanced it in the eyes of the world and by defending our rights and dignity as a race to the extent of sacrificing his life, he welded the Filipino people into one compact nation imbued with common national ideals; and

WHEREAS, by example and precept he showed us what a true Filipino should do and, therefore, it is the duty of the Philippines to propagate his ideas and ideals of private as well as public life for the emulation of his countrymen and of all peoples;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RAMON MAGSAYSAY, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, in appreciation of the popular sentiment that this event of extraordinary national significance be properly observed, do hereby create a Jose Rizal National Centennial Commission of fifteen members, composed of the following:

The Secretary of Education		Chairman
The Secretary of Finance		Co-Vice Chairman
The Supreme Commander of the Order of the Knights of Rizal		Co-Vice Chairman
The Chairman of the Committee on Education of the Senate		Member
The Chairman of the Committee on Education of the House of Representatives		Member
The President of the University of the Philippines		Member
The Chairman of UNESCO National Commission		Member
The Director of Public Libraries and Chairman of the Philippine Historical Committee		Member
The Director of Public Schools		Member
The Director of Private Schools		Member
Five other persons to be selected by the above-mentioned officials from the cultural, educational and civic organizations of the country		Members

The Commission shall have the following duties and functions:

1. Prepare the general program of the Centennary and submit it to the President of the Philippines for his approval;

2. Promote and direct commemorative celebrations throughout the Philippines and wherever Filipino communities exist;

3. Edit and publish all the works of Jose Rizal and such works of others about him as are considered necessary in the proper understanding of the meaning of his life and labours;

4. Erect a grand monument in honor of Jose Rizal in the Capital of the Philippines;

5. Initiate the holding of an International Congress in the Capital of the Philippines to which shall be invited, as official guests of the Republic of the Philippines, such foreign individuals as have become known for their love for Rizal and his works;

6. Arrange for the issuance of commemorative stamps of the Centennary;

7. Create Jose Rizal medals to commemorate the Centennary to be awarded to persons and associations having juridical personalities who have contributed to the understanding and propagation of the teachings of Rizal;

8. Administer all funds donated to it by the public and the Government for the purposes of the Centennary; and

9. Take all other measures necessary for the successful execution of all the programs and activities adopted in celebration of the Centennary.

The Commission shall report from time to time, but not less than once in six months, its activities and functions to the President who shall cause such report to be published for the information and guidance of the public.

Done in the City of Manila, this 10th day of August, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and fifty-four, and of the Independence of the Philippines, the ninth.

(Sgd.) RAMON MAGSAYSAY
President of the Philippines

By the President:
(Sgd.) FRED RUIZ CASTRO
Executive Secretary