Knights of Rizal

The Knights of Rizal (Spanish: Orden de Caballeros de Rizál; Filipino: Mga Maginoo ni Rizal; sometimes abbreviated as KOR) is an Order of Chivalry of the Philippines, created to honor and uphold the ideals of Philippine national hero José Rizal. The Order is often worn by members of the Philippine government and diplomatic corps. The insignia of the Knights of Rizal is ranked seventh in the Order of Wear pursuant to the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Honors Code of the Philippines.

Knights of Rizal Orden de Caballeros de Rizál Mga Maginoo ni Rizal
Badge of the Knights of Rizal with the name of the Order and the motto circumscribed
Awarded by Supreme Council of the Knights of Rizal
Type	Order of Chivalry
Established	1911 (1911); chartered by Congress in 1951 (1951)
Country	Philippines
Seat	Port Area, Manila
Motto	Non Omnis Moriar
Eligibility	Men of legal age with good moral character and reputation, without regard to nationality, race, social status, or religion, and endorsed by two active knights and unanimously approved by the Supreme Council
Awarded for	Outstanding services to the Order or the Philippines, or a demonstrated commitment to the Rizalian ideals of education, internationalism, and social justice
Status	Currently constituted with legislative charter
Founder	Colonel Antonio C. Torres (1911); President Elpidio Quirino (1951 charter)
Supreme Commander	Sir Raymundo A. del Rosario, KGCR
Grades	Knight Grand Cross of Rizal (KGCR) Knight Grand Officer of Rizal (KGOR) Knight Commander of Rizal (KCR) Knight Officer of Rizal (KOR) Knight of Rizal (KR)
Website	knights-of-rizal.ph
Statistics
Total inductees	25,000+ knights in approximately 200 chapters around the world
Precedence
Next (higher)	Awards and decorations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Presidential Medal of Merit
Next (lower)	Decorations of the Reserves and Auxiliaries of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, and Coast Guard
Ribbon bar

Knight (KR) Insignia

The Order was established in 1911 by Colonel Antonio C. Torres, who later served as the first Filipino chief of police of Manila. The Order was granted a legislative charter by President Elpidio Quirino as a non-sectarian, non-partisan, civic, patriotic, and cultural organization under Republic Act 646 on June 14, 1951. Although not a state order, it is the one order of knighthood in the Philippines officially recognized and endorsed by an official act of the national government, and its awards and titles are recognized by the Honors Code of the Philippines as official awards of the Republic.

Since its founding, the Order has grown to more than 25,000 members belonging to 131 active chapters in the Philippines and 61 active chapters around the world. Its international headquarters is located on Bonifacio Drive in Port Area, Manila.

History

The Order of the Knights of Rizal was first organized out of a group of nine men by Manila Police Chief Colonel Antonio C. Torres on Rizal Day, December 30, 1911, commemorate martyrdom of Philippine national hero, José Rizal. Founding members include Sir Martin P. de Veyra (a pensionado who graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked for the Philippine Assembly), Sir Jose A. del Barrio (a Bureau of Internal Revenue employee), and Sir Jose S. Galvez (a lawyer, stage actor, and the President of Talca, a dramatic guild).

A year later, on December 30, 1912, a state funeral was held to transfer Rizal's remains from his family's house in Binondo, Manila for a wake in the Ayuntamiento and finally a burial in Luneta. The Knights of Rizal kept vigil during the wake and acted as honor guards during the subsequent burial. Asunción López Bantug, Rizal's sister's granddaughter, recounts how the event took place in her biography of Rizal published in 1982:

"On December 29, 1912, the urn containing the remains was borne in solemn procession from the family's house to the Ayuntamiento, that fine Marble Hall that had been a symbol of Spanish sovereignty in the Philippines. In the salon of the Ayuntamiento, the urn was enshrined on a magnificent catafalque surrounded by innumerable floral wreaths, offerings of the nation. Throughout that night, the Knights of Rizal and other patriotic groups as well as the public kept vigil round the catafalque. "Next morning, December 30, 1912 -- sixteenth anniversary of the martyrdom -- the urn was borne to the Luneta on an artillery caisson drawn by six horses. Thousands joined the procession and thousands more lined the streets."

Since then, the Order has led commemorations of Rizal's birth anniversary and plays a prominent role during Rizal Day ceremonies commemorating his death anniversary. On the 100th anniversary of the state funeral, the Order joined the President of the Philippines, H.E. Sir Benigno Aquino III, and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, in leading the country through the reenactment of the 1912 funeral march. The knights wore a replica of their 1912 uniform and marched alongside a motorized caisson. Around 7,000 students, soldiers, policemen, government employees, and descendants of Rizal joined the commemoration.

December 30, 1912: The catafalque carrying the urn that contains Jose Rizal's remains is marched through Manila to Luneta with the Knights of Rizal as honor guards and the Freemasons of the Grand Lodge of the Philippines marching in step.

Five years later, in 1916, the Col. Torres formally organized the Order as a private non-stock corporation. In 1951, the Supreme Council of the Order created a Committee on Legislation for the purpose of studying the feasibility of filing a bill in the Congress of the Philippines to be enacted into law to enable the Order to secure a legislative charter. Justice Roman Ozaeta was the Chairman of the Committee with Sir Carlos Hilado and Sir Pedro Sabido as members.

The bill seeking to give the Order of the Knights of Rizal a legislative charter was docketed as Senate Bill No. 251. Senators Enrique Magalona, Lorenzo Sumulong, Esteban Abada, Emiliano Tria Tirona, Camilo Osías, Geronima Pécson, José Avelino and Ramon Torres sponsored the bill in the Senate while Congressman Manuel Zola of Cebu was the principal sponsor in the House of Representatives. Attached to the bill was an explanatory note that read:

"The bill if enacted into law will also serve as a historical monument to Rizal; it will constitute an official recognition by the Republic of the Philippines of the inestimable value to the nation of his teachings an examples and the wisdom and necessity of inculcating them into the minds and hearts of our people so they may strive to follow and practice them. The authors and proponents of this bill believe that if the purposes thereof are faithfully and effectively carried out, social discipline, civic virtues, and love of justice will be fostered, promoted, and enhanced in this country, and that the Knights of Rizal as a chartered entity is the most convenient instrumentality by which this desirable ends can be attained. Let Rizal's life and martyrdom influence and guide the destiny of the nation. Let this and future generations live the Rizal way."

The bill was passed by Congress on May 15, 1951. It was signed into law by President Elpidio Quirino on June 14, 1951 as Republic Act 646. The new law shortened the English name to "Knights of Rizal" while keeping its original form in Spanish as "Orden de Caballeros de Rizál."

Supreme Council

Historical marker at the headquarters of the Order in Manila

As set forth by Philippine Republic Act 646, the general administration and direction of the affairs of the Order is in the hands of a Supreme Council of nine members including the Supreme Commander, Deputy Supreme Commander, Supreme Chancellor, Supreme Pursuivant, Supreme Exchequer, Supreme Archivist, Supreme Auditor, Deputy Supreme Pursuivant and Deputy Supreme Exchequer. The Supreme Council Trustees serve the Supreme Council for two (2) years, with maximum of two (2) re-elections as stated in the Amended By-Laws.

The present Supreme Council of the Order consist of the following knights who were elected on November 26, 2023.

• Supreme Commander: Sir Raymundo A. del Rosario, KGCR (the Board Member representing the 7th District of Cavite in the Cavite Provincial Council);
• Deputy Supreme Commander: Sir Allan L. Rellon, KGOR (Vice Mayor of Tagum City);
• Supreme Chancellor: Sir Mark Roy L. Boado, KGOR;
• Supreme Pursuivant: Sir Joel V. Tuplano, KGOR;
• Supreme Exchequer: Sir Frisco S. San Juan, Jr, KGOR;
• Supreme Auditor: Sir Meliton P. Garraton, KGCR;
• Supreme Archivist and Overseas Representative: Sir Arnold Villafuerte, KGCR;
• Deputy Supreme Pursuivant: Sir Jose Vicente B. Salazar, KGOR; and
• Deputy Supreme Exchequer: Sir Rafael Crescencio C. Tan, Jr., KGOR.

Activities

Unlike most orders currently constituted across the globe, the Knights of Rizal is an active order with cultural and charitable projects all around the world. Membership does not only convey privilege but requires continuous participation in the work of the Order.

Aside from leading or taking an active part in official and diplomatic ceremonies commemorating important dates in José Rizal's life and the Philippine Independence Day, the Knights of Rizal also focus on Filipino youth across the world such as the annual National Rizal Youth Leadership Institute Conference and the annual Search for Jose Rizal Model Students of the Philippines (JRMSP) held every December.

Year-round, chapters around the world sponsor charitable projects for the betterment of their local or international communities. In 2024, the Fairfield Chapter in Connecticut donated $35,000 (PHP 2,000,000) to build classrooms in two remote barangays in Luzon, Philippines, in keeping with the Order's similar previous work in Visayas and Mindanao to aid communities that do not receive enough government funding. Meanwhile the New York Chapter in New York City have organized several projects in service of the local Filipino communities in Woodside and Elmhurst through children's feeding programs and care package (sanitation kits, thermal blankets) donations. In coordination with the New York State Command, Sir Michael Dadap's Handurawan concert at the Kaufman Music Center donated a portion of its proceeds to help victims of Hurricane Milton in Florida.

Privileges and precedence

Stamp released by PHLPost to celebrate the centennial of the Order's initial formation in 1916, featuring a profile of Rizal.

As the only state-recognized order of chivalry in the Philippines, the honor of membership is held in high regard. It is a crime for any person to misrepresent themselves to be a knight or agent of the Order and anyone found guilty of doing so may be fined or imprisoned for up to six months, or both.

Knights of the Order prefix the title Sir while wives of knights prefix Lady to their first names. Note that the latter differs from the British system used in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth realms (e.g. Order of the British Empire) where wives of knights prefix Lady to their surnames instead. For example, in the British system, a Jane Coleman, wife of a Sir John Smith, would be known as Lady Smith or Jane, Lady Smith in some instances; in the Filipino system, a Christine Reyes, wife of a Sir Juan de la Cruz, will be known simply as Lady Christine. These prefixes apply to both spoken and written forms of address and may be used by knights of all degrees.

Knights also have the right to wear the insignia and vestments of the Order at all appropriate occasions in accordance to the Order's Amended By-Laws and to the Order of Wear of the Philippines. The Order's ranks and insignia are formally recognized by Executive Order No. 236, more commonly known as the Honors Code of the Philippines, making the Order seventh in precedence. All of its medals and awards are considered awards given by the Republic of the Philippines.

Knights have the right to append the appropriate post-nominals of their rank to their names. Knights Grand Cross use the post-nominals KGCR; Knights Grand Officer, KGOR; Knights Commander, KCR; Knights Officer, KOR; and Knights, KR.

Membership

Membership is by invitation with the endorsement of two active knights. The Order does not take into consideration one's nationality, citizenship, race, religion, or social status; it only cares that a prospective member, or "postulant," is a man of legal age who is of impeccable character and has a demonstrated commitment to the values epitomized by Rizal. Postulants who are successfully admitted into the Order may enjoy all the privileges of knights of the Order whether they are citizens of the Philippines or not. All knighthoods are substantive and never simply honorary as they are not only a recognition of past service and charitable deeds but also an expectation of future active work and growth within the Order.

Postulants may be approached by knights of the Order directly or they may petition for membership. All postulants are privately investigated before any formal proceedings take place. Upon successful vetting, the local chapter files a formal recommendation to the appropriate prefectural tribunal for approval, after which the recommendation goes before the eyes of the Supreme Council who votes on conferring knighthood. In all stages, from the chapter level to the Supreme Council, approval must be reached unanimously otherwise the vote fails and the recommendation is rejected. A similar process occurs for elevations of rank within the Order.

The honor of knighthood and all subsequent promotions and awards are conferred by the local chapter through a diploma signed by the Supreme Commander and Supreme Pursuivant under the authority of the Supreme Council vested in it by Republic Act 646. The postulant is knighted or promoted in a solemn ceremony presided by the highest ranking knight present, and is presented the diploma along with the appropriate insignia for his rank. It is tradition that a fiancée, wife, family member, etc. or a senior knight of the awardee’s choosing puts the decoration on the knight being dubbed or awarded.

Grades and Insignia

There are five degrees of knighthood, each with their own post-nominals and insignia.

Degrees
1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
Knight	Knight Officer	Knight Commander	Knight Grand Officer	Knight Grand Cross
Insignia
Regalia of a KR is a ribbon of the Order	Regalia of a KOR is a ribbon with a golden anahaw rosette	Regalia of a KCR is a neck ribbon of the Order	Regalia of a KGOR includes a silver breast star and sash of the Order	Regalia of a KGCR includes a gold breast star and sash of the Order
Ribbon	Ribbon with a golden anahaw rosette	Neck ribbon	Silver breast star and sash	Gold breast star with sash

Other awards and decorations

• Medal of Recognition
• Distinguished Service Medal
• Distinguished Service Star
• Distinguished Service Cross
• Rizal Pro Patria Award

For Women and Ladies Auxiliary

• Teodora Alonzo Award
• Rizal Women of Malolos Award

Prominent recipients

Sir Manuel L. Quezon, President of the Philippines (1935-1944)

Presidents of the Philippines

• H.E. Sir Emilio Aguinaldo (1899-1901)
• H.E. Sir José P. Laurel (1943-1945)
• H.E. Sir Manuel L. Quezon (1935-1944)
• H.E. Sir Carlos P. Garcia (1957-1961)
• H.E. Sir Diosdado Macapagal (1961-1965)
• H.E. Sir Ferdinand E. Marcos (1965-1986)
• H.E. Sir Fidel V. Ramos (1992-1998)
• H.E. Sir Joseph Estrada (1998-2001)
• H.E. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2001-2010): Conferred the Teodora Alonzo Award by the Order.
• H.E. Sir Benigno Aquino III (2010-2016)
• H.E. Sir Rodrigo Duterte (2016-2022)

United States President Barack Obama meets with Philippine President Sir Benigno Aquino III at the Malacañan Palace in Manila during the former's visit to the Philippines, April 28, 2014

Senator Sir Benigno Aquino Jr. on a PHLPost stamp released in 2000

Members of Philippine Senate and House of Representatives

• Sir Benigno S. Aquino Jr.: Senator of the Philippines. Governor of Tarlac. Husband to President Corazon Aquino, the first female President of the Philippines, and father to President Sir Benigno Aquino III.
• Sir Jovito Salonga: First Chairman of the Presidential Commission on Good Government and President of the Senate of the Philippines.
• Sir Feliciano Belmonte Jr.: Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines.
• Pia S. Cayetano: Senator of the Philippines: Conferred the Rizal Women of Malolos Award by the Order.

Cabinet Secretaries, Vice Presidents, and Ministers of the Philippines

• H.E. Sir Fernando Lopez: Vice President of the Philippines. Secretary of Agriculture, Senator, and Natural Resources and Chairman of ABS-CBN Corporation.
• H.E. Sir Salvador Laurel: Vice President of the Philippines. Prime Minister and Secretary of Foreign Affairs.
• H.E. Sir Cesar Virata: Prime Minister of the Philippines.
• Sir Jose D. Lina Jr.: Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, Governor of Laguna, Governor of Metro Manila, and Senator of the Philippines. Supreme Commander of the Order.
• Sir Delfin Lorenzana: Secretary of National Defense and Chairman of the National Task Force against COVID-19.

The Honorable Sir Hilario Davide Jr.

Chief Justices of the Philippines

• The Honorable Sir Hilario Davide Jr.: Chief Justice of the Philippines, Philippine Representative to the United Nations, author of the 1986 Constitution of the Philippines, and Supreme Commander of the Order.
• The Honorable Sir Claudio Teehankee: Chief Justice and Secretary of Justice of the Philippines. Supreme Commander of the Order.
• The Honorable Sir Reynato Puno: Chief Justice of the Philippines. Supreme Commander of the Order.

Artists of the Philippines

• Sir Juan F. Nakpil: National Artist of the Philippines. Supreme Commander of the Order.
• Sir Jhett Tolentino: Entertainment Producer and first Filipino to win both a Grammy Award and a Tony Award for his work in the entertainment industry.

Philippine Diplomatic Corps

• H.E. Sir Carlos P. Romulo: President of the United Nations General Assembly. President of the University of the Philippines, Philippine Ambassador to the United States, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, and Secretary of Education.
• H.E. Sir León María Guerrero III: Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom, India, Spain, Mexico, and Yugoslavia.
• H.E. Sir Jose L. Cuisia Jr.: Philippine Ambassador to the United States. Governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines.
• H.E. Sir Victor G. Garcia III: Philippine Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Philippine Permanent Resident to international organizations in Vienna, Austria. Signatory for the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime.
• H.E. Sir Jose S. Laurel III: Philippine Ambassador to Japan. Supreme Commander of the Order.
• H.E. Sir Eduardo de Vega, KGOR [1] : Philippine Ambassador to Mexico, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the European Union.
• H.E. Sir Philippe Lhuillier: Philippine Ambassador to Italy, Albania, San Marino, and Spain.
• H.E. Sir Jesus S. Domingo: Philippine Ambassador to New Zealand, Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.
• H.E. Sir J. Eduardo Malaya, KGOR: Philippine Ambassador to The Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Other Prominent Members

• Sir Antonio C. Torres: First Filipino Chief of Manila Police Department (MPD), Founder of the Order.
• Sir Gabriel A. Daza: Charter member of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP). Supreme Exchequer and of the Order.
• Sir Hermenegildo Reyes: Co-Founder of the University of the East. Supreme Commander of the Order.

Foreign Recipients of the Order or its awards

Country	Photo	Name	Known for	Notes
Spain		HM King Juan Carlos I	King of Spain
United States of America		Sir Henry Kissinger	Secretary of State of the United States of America
United States of America		Sir Theodore Roosevelt III	Governor-General of the Commonwealth of the Philippines	Knighted by then-Senate President Sir Manuel L. Quezon at Luneta.
Malaysia		Sir Anwar Ibrahim	10th Prime Minister of Malaysia
Thailand		Sir Itthiphol Khunpluem	Thai Minister of Culture and Mayor of Pattaya
Australia		Sir Billy Chan KGOR, GCrSMA, OMCM	UN Ambassador for the Global Fair Pay Charter, UNITAR
Canada		Sir Tobias Enverga	Senator for Ontario
France	Jean-Marc Ayrault - septembre 2011	Britgitte Ayrault	Wife of Prime Minister of France Jean-Marc Ayrault	Conferred the Rizal Women of Malolos Award for her charity work with Filipino children
United Kingdom		Sir Austin Coates	British civil servant and author	Wrote “Rizal: Philippine Nationalist and Martyr“ (1968)
United States of America		Sir John Ensign	United States Senator of the State of Nevada
Japan		Sir Daisaku Ikeda	President of Soka Gakkai in Japan
Japan		Sir Kiyoshi Sumiya	Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines
Canada		Sir Anthony Housefather	Member of the Canadian Parliament and Mayor of Côte Saint-Luc
Cambodia		Sir Heng Sokkung	Cambodian Secretary of State of the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation
Belgium		Sir Grégoire Vardakis	Belgian Ambassador to the Philippines
Croatia		Sir Stjepan Mesić	President of Croatia (2000-2010)
Yugoslavia			President of Yugoslavia (1991)
United States of America		Sir Emanuel Jones	USA Georgia State Senator, Senate Committee on Economic Development and International Relations
Australia		Sir Nicholas George Tam	Vice Chairman of the Royal Commonwealth Society Hong Kong Branch

External links

• Knights of Rizal (Philippine Supreme Council Headquarters)
• Who is entitled to the prefix of 'Sir'?