PH Embassy in Dili Celebrates 126th Anniversary of Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal

CDA Arriola led a wreath-laying ceremony in front of the photo of Dr. Jose Rizal. He was assisted by Ms. Pearl Amores Leonardo, the newly elected President of the BOD-AFET. (Dili PE photo)

DILI, 05 January 2023 – Personnel of the Philippine Embassy in Dili headed by Charge d’ Affaires, a.i. Dean Jason N. Arriola, together with the officers of the Board of Directors of the Association of Filipinos in Timor-Leste (BOD-AFET), commemorated the 126th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal on 30 December 2022. 

The theme for the 2022 commemoration was “Rizal: Preserved Memories, Treasured Today by the Nation” (“Rizal: Alaalang Iningatan, Yaman Ngayon ng Bayan”). The Embassy hosted the commemoration ceremony at the reception area of the chancery due to unfavorable weather conditions in Dili that day.

CDA Arriola led a wreath-laying ceremony in front of the photo of Dr. Jose Rizal. He was assisted by Ms. Pearl Amores Leonardo, the newly elected President of the BOD-AFET.

In his remarks in Filipino, CDA Arriola expressed hope that Rizal Day would serve as a reminder of the sacrificial acts of Dr. Rizal for Filipinos today and succeeding generations, and as an inspiration for everyone to continue contributing to their respective Filipino communities overseas and in the Philippines, and to the development of the country.

CDA Arriola also read the message of Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo on the commemoration of the 126th Rizal Day. The message of the Secretary cited, among other things, the current efforts of the Department of Foreign Affairs in keeping the memory of Dr. Rizal alive. These efforts include several projects launched in 2021, namely: (1) the documentaries “Finding Rizal in a Time of Barriers, by Senator Loren Legarda, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Philippine Embassy in Berlin; (2) “Retracing the Footsteps of Dr. Jose Rizal in France,” by the Philippine Embassy in Paris; and (3) “Virtual Walking Tour of Jose Rizal’s Madrid,” by the Philippine Embassy in Spain in collaboration with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

Following the said remarks, ATN and Acting Administrative Officer German N. Monteras and Ms. Farida A. Taray read one of the poems of Dr. Rizal entitled “Canto del Viajero” or “Awit ng Manlalakbay”.

CDA Arriola also led the oathtaking ceremony for the newly elected officers of BOD-AFET for the term 2023-2024 and the awarding of certificates of recognition to the outgoing officials of the BOD-AFET for the term 2020-2022.

After the event, the Embassy shared a simple Filipino breakfast with the participants from BOD-AFET and attendees. END

CDA Dean Jason N. Arriola, (2nd from left to right) together with other Embassy personnel during the commemoration of the 126th anniversary of the martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal held at the Embassy reception area on 30th of December 2022. (Dili PE photo)

CDA Dean Jason N. Arriola, (8th from left to right) together with the newly elected officers of the Board of Directors (BODs) of the Association of Filipinos in East Timor (AFET). (Dili PE photo)

For more information, visit https://www.dilipe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.facebook.com/PHinTimorLeste/, https://twitter.com/PHinTimorLeste, or https://www.instagram.com/phlintimorleste/.