CALAMBA, Laguna—President Aquino said on Sunday he is not driven by applause or praise, but by the hope of nurturing the development of future Jose Rizals, who would embody what every Filipino should aspire to be.

Mr. Aquino made the statement at the celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of the national hero in Calamba, Laguna, where he unveiled the country’s tallest statue of Rizal across the Calamba City Hall building.

Mr. Aquino said he is driven by the hope that his administration’s hard work would allow those who have the potential, but not the means, to attain the same stature as Rizal.

“I am working because in a remote barrio on a small island in the Philippines, there may be an infant who would be like Rizal: faithful, with unparalleled intelligence, with boundless devotion to others, and with everlasting love for country,” he said.

His administration, he said, is working hard “so that no Filipino would have to sacrifice his life for the good of those who would come after him.”

The President said the nation continues to honor the memory of Rizal despite its complex history, “one Filipino continued to do what is right—to think of the welfare of others ahead of oneself, and forged the foundations of unity in pursuit of national freedom—even at the expense of his own life.”

Mr. Aquino led the commemorative rites at the Rizal Shrine in this city, where he led flag and wreath-laying ceremonies in honor of Rizal’s birthday.

Protesters greeted the President on his way to the site of the new Rizal statue; they demanded the full implementation of the agrarian-reform law.

Another group attempted to disrupt the President’s keynote speech at the future site of a commercial, institutional and recreational complex across the Calamba City Hall, but were quickly dispersed by authorities.