Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Rizal Monument in Avenida de Filipinas, Madrid

Ambassador to Spain Philippine J. Lhuilllier together with the officers and staff of the Philippine Embassy, the Order of the Knights of Rizal, officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and members of the Filipino community joined as one in celebrating the wreath laying ceremony held at the Rizal monument in Avenida de Filipinas in Madrid. (Madrid PE photo)

Madrid, Spain — The Philippine Embassy in Madrid, in coordination with the Order of the Knights of Rizal (KOR) – La Solidaridad Chapter, celebrated the 158th Birth Anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal on June 23, 2019 at the Rizal Monument in Madrid.

Armed Forces of the Philippines officials also attended on the official visit with the members of the Filipino and Spanish communities in Spain.

Reading of Jose Rizal’s Mi Ultimo Adios. (Madrid PE photo)

The event opened with welcome remarks from KOR Commander in Madrid Federico Sanchez Aguilar.

Ambassador to Spain Philippe J. Lhuillier recalled the words of Filipino writer Leon Maria Guerrero, stating, “The way Rizal died is not so important as the way he lived,” and his life, “not so important as what he thought and wrote.”

Ambassador Lhuillier (sixth from left) with the KOR members and Armed Forces of the Philippines officers on official visit. (Madrid PE photo)

 

Ambassador to Spain Philippe J. Lhuillier and Knights of Rizal (KOR) in Madrid Commander Federico Sanchez Aguilar offered a wreath at the Rizal monument. (Madrid PE photo)

The Ambassador further stressed Rizal’s role in fostering the Philippines’ national identity, being one of the most prominent people who imagined the territories under Spain as one nation. He further said, “It is also very important for our Spanish  friends to understand that even though the Philippines was a colony of Spain, Rizal was a Filipino. He fought for reforms for our people, and his death contributed to our freedom. In his Defense, that he wrote before his execution, he expressed his wish for liberties for Filipinos, and top-down reforms. Many would argue that Rizal called himself and considered himself first and foremost, a Filipino.”

The event was a celebration of the fruitful life Dr. Rizal lived, whose works according to Ambassador Lhuillier, “shaped Filipinos’ awareness and understanding of the Philippines as a nation for years to come.”


For more information, visit  https://www.madripe.dfa.gov.ph,
https://www.philembassymadrid.com or https://www.facebook.com/PHinSpain.

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