One of the objectives of the Buhay Rizal project is to restore Rizalian pride around the country.  We believe that Jose Rizal, being our national hero, deserves nothing less that the highest form of honor and respect from all of us.  One of the most visible manifestations of this should have been the monuments of Jose Rizal which, in the first place, were put up in his honor.  One look at the current state of these monuments throughout the country, however, would show the reverse – the sad reality that most of these monuments bear signs of dilapidation, vandalism and other forms of wear and tear or damage. 

In line with this, and as foremost among the projects under the Buhay Rizal, YGC, through its Rizalian Pride Program, has taken the initiative to embark on a project that will entail refurbishment of selected Rizal monuments in different parts of the country. This way, we can bring back the pride that we should have for our national hero, something found wanting among a significant number of Filipino people nowadays.

The renovation intends not only to give a facelift to the monument but likewise to inculcate into the consciousness of the people the teachings and values of Rizal. The renovation is complemented by a values-formation program where external communication channels, such as billboards, posters and banners are used to propagate these values and teachings in the areas surrounding the monuments.

The MOA signing for the renovation and the eventual turn-over of the monuments is a red-letter day in the localities concerned, marked by festivities led by LGU officials, key officers of the sponsoring YGC member-companies, and the local chapters of the Knights of Rizal, among others.

Todate, a significant number of Rizal monuments has already been refurbished and turned-over to the local government units.  The first one was in Baguio City while the most recent was the one in Calamba City, the hometown of Rizal, last April 8, 2011.  More monuments are lined up for renovation as this is a continuing feature of the Buhay Rizal program.