Ahundred fifty years after his birth, and a hundred and fifteen since his execution, it is difficult to appreciate the subversive nature of Rizal's reputation when he emerged on the political scene. Much of what he dedicated himself to, much of what he served as symbol of, is now simply assumed in the Philippines: civil liberties, the right to education, political representation of the people and a free press, above all freedom of conscience. His martyrdom is so familiar, such a common point of reference, that his willing embrace of it is taken for granted. His appeal to non-violence, to study and the civic virtues, continues to be seen as difficult, but no longer radical.

We can get an inkling of Rizal's significance for his time from his mother's extreme reaction to the so-called brindis or toast of 25 June 1884, which is when Rizal began to assume the mantle of leadership of the Filipino community in Spain.

She had fallen seriously ill for a week, and in a letter to Rizal dated 5 November 1884, Paciano explained why:

After the Noli Me Tangere circulated, Rizal became the subject of even more suppositions, gratuitous or otherwise. He was, one might argue, the first Filipino celebrity.