The Diplomat
The Philippine Embassy in Madrid, in collaboration with the Knights of the Order of the Rizal La Solidarity Branch, held a wreath laying ceremony to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the death of Filipino hero Jose Rizal.
The event took place last 19 December, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the inauguration of his memorial on Avenida de las Islas Filipinas in Madrid.
Among those present were the Philippine Ambassador to Spain, Philippe J. Lhuillier; and officials and employees of the Embassy, together with the Order of the Knights of Rizal and members of the Filipino community. Also in attendance were the Director General of Citizen Cooperation of the Madrid City Council, Cecilio Cerdán, representing the Mayor, José Luis Martínez Almeida; and José María Álvarez del Manzano, who was Mayor of Madrid when the Rizal monument was inaugurated on 5 December 1996.
Lhuillier praised the brilliance and greatness of the hero, and said he hoped that through events like the anniversary celebration, “young Filipinos will learn more about Rizal and how he, like all of us, struggled to overcome so much suffering and anguish in his life”.
The knights led the laying of a wreath at the monument. The event culminated with a reading of Rizal’s work “The Last Goodbye” by senior Elias Rodriguez Varela.
