06 January 2014 - The Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong  inaugurated its Sentro Rizal on 30 December 2013 on the occasion of the 117^th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Philippines’ national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.   Consul General Noel Servigon and Mrs. Chi Servigon led the unveiling of the Sentro Rizal marker at the Consulate’s Cultural Section.

During the opening ceremony, Lakbay Dangal, a Filipino community organization in Hong Kong, read the two letters of Dr. Rizal which he left to Dr. Lorenzo Marques, a Portugese doctor who became a good friend of Dr. Rizal while the latter was in Hong Kong from 1891 to 1892.  Filipino community members Catherine Marsden and Christine Antoinette Bennett, also sang a moving rendition, in both Filipino and Spanish, of Dr. Rizal’s “Mi Ultimo Adios” (My Last Farewell).  Ms. Marsden helped design the interior of the Consulate’s Sentro Rizal.

Philippine publications, including replicas of Dr. Rizal’s two most famous novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, and other materials donated by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), served as the start-up collection for the Sentro Rizal.  Lakbay Dangal also donated books for the center.

Section 43 of Republic Act 10066 or “Heritage Law of the Philippines” mandates Philippine Embassies or Consulates to establish their respective Sentro Rizal branches. 

Given that there are currently around 180,000 Filipinos in Hong Kong who visit the Consulate for various services, the Consulate’s Sentro Rizal hopes to serve as a venue to further promote Philippine arts, culture and language, especially to Filipino children. 

To further commemorate Rizal Day, the Sentro Rizal opening was preceded by wreath-laying ceremonies at Rednaxela Terrace where Dr. Rizal and his family resided during their stay in Hong Kong, as well as at D’Aguilar Street, the location of the former clinic of Dr. Rizal. END