DID YOU KNOW? The monument of national hero José Rizal in Luneta, titled “Motto Stella” (Guiding Star) and designed by Swiss sculptor Richard Kissling, was only the second prize winner in a design competition launched following the passage of Act No. 243 in 1901. Act No. 243, approved on 28 September 1901 by the Philippine Commission, called for the construction of Rizal’s monument in Luneta, which shall be based on the winning entry in an international design contest. Participated mainly by sculptors from Europe, the competition ran from 1905 to 1907 and the result was announced on 8 January 1908. The design of Italian sculptor Carlos Nicoli, titled “El Mártir de Bagumbayan” (The Martyr of Bagumbayan), was picked as the grand prize winner, according to the Spanish publication Excelsior in its January 20, 1908 issue. Rommel Aquino of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, in his paper “Bantayog: Facets of the Rizal National Monument,” noted that Nicoli’s design was rectangular in shape with elegant details. “Lions and ornate lampposts decorate its corners. In the center rises a marble base adorned with allegorical figures representing Victory, Justice, Music and the Fine Arts,” he wrote. “A magnificent pedestal capped by a statue of Rizal with an angel of Fame hovering above his figure, dominates the structure,” Aquino added. But the contract to build the monument was awarded to Kissling for a still unknown reason, as there were varying reports that surfaced after Nicoli did not get the job. These include Nicoli’s failure to post a performance bond of ₱20,000, his inability to show up during the designated date of the signing of the job contract, and that the cost of building Kissling’s design was much lower compared to the winning design. Photos from Excelsior, 20 January 1908 issue.