Imagine Chatting with Rizal — Pocholo Gonzales Just Made It Possible

 

Pocholo De Leon Gonzales on ABC-CBN News

Bringing history to life with a little tech and a whole lot of heart.

Have you ever wished you could just sit down and have a real convo with one of our national heroes?

Like, imagine asking Dr. Jose Rizal what he thinks about today’s world. Or how he’d feel about TikTok, AI, or all the things we’re struggling with as a country. Sounds impossible, right?

Well, not if your name is Pocholo Gonzales — aka The VoiceMaster of the Philippines.

From Daydreams to Digital Reality

“This was a 30-year dream,” Pocholo shares.

Yup, 30 years. As a kid, he was already fascinated by Rizal. Not just the statues or the textbook stuff, but the man behind the name — the thinker, the rebel, the writer, the dreamer.

And like many of us, he used to imagine what it would be like to actually talk to him.

So, years later, Pocholo did what dreamers do best: he created something the world hadn’t seen yet.

Conversations with Rizal — Not Just a Book Anymore

Pocholo first poured his imagination into writing a book called Conversations with Rizal. In it, he wrote out the questions he always wished he could ask Rizal, and the answers he imagined Rizal would give.

But deep down, it still felt a little… one-sided.

So he took it up a notch. Using voice tech and AI, he brought Rizal into the digital world — through a website that now allows you to actually chat with the national hero.

Yup, you read that right.

You can now have a conversation with Rizal, thanks to AI. It’s not just reading history — it’s engaging with it. And that’s exactly what Pocholo wanted: to bring history to life for a new generation.

History + Tech = Legacy Reinvented

Pocholo sees this project as a way to enrich the lessons of our past using the tools of today.

Because let’s be real — for many students, history feels like just another subject to pass. But when you interact with it? When you feel it? It hits differently.

It’s no longer just about dates and heroes — it becomes about identity, reflection, and purpose.

And who better to have that convo with than Rizal himself?

The Heart Behind It All

This isn’t just a tech flex. It’s not just some novelty. For Pocholo, this is personal.

It’s the fulfillment of a childhood dream. A tribute to a man who shaped our nation. And a gift to every Filipino curious enough to ask: “What would Rizal say about today?”

Wanna Try It?

Go check out the website (Conversations with Rizal) and experience it for yourself. Whether you’re a student, a teacher, a history nerd, or just plain curious — you might be surprised at what you learn, not just about Rizal… but about yourself, too.

Because sometimes, the past doesn’t just teach us about where we came from.
It reminds us of where we’re going.