02 January 2014 - The Philippine Embassy in Singapore commemorated the 117th death anniversary of hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Dr. Jose Rizal marker along the banks of the Singapore River near the Singapore Asian Civilizations Museum on December 30. Minister and Consul General Alan L. Deniega, Chargé d’Affaires, ad interim, of the Philippine Embassy in Singapore led the ceremony.
The wreath-laying ceremony was followed by an observance of a minute of silence and a rendition of Rizal’s “Mi Ultimo Adios” by Embassy officials and representative of the Filipino community in Singapore.
Representatives of the Singapore Preservation of Monuments Board including Ms. Jean Wee, Director and Ms. Foo Min Li, Manager (Research and Education) and Assistant Manager Tan Xu En of the Singapore National Heritage Board also attended the ceremony.
The Rizal marker was unveiled in 2008 by then Singapore President S R Nathan, through the joint efforts of the Philippine Embassy, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, National Historical Institute of the Philippines and the National Heritage Board of Singapore.
It features a bronze relief likeness of Dr. Rizal by National Artist Guillermo Tolentino, and a brief biography of the Philippine national hero accompanied by a painting of him by Fabian Dela Rosa.
Dr. Rizal, who travelled and passed by Singapore a number of times, is one of the only four personalities honored by the Singapore Government with a marker along the scenic riverside promenade. The other three are the writer Somerset Maugham, the late President Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam and the erstwhile Paramount Leader Deng Xiaoping of the People’s Republic of China. END
