Senator Legarda, Secretary Bello Honor Rizal in Berlin on His 158th Birth Anniversary
Ambassador to Germany Ma. Theresa Dizon-De Vega (leftmost) with Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III (center) and Senator Loren Legarda (rightmost) after the floral offering ceremony in front of Rizal’s former flat. (Berlin PE photo)
BERLIN 27 June 2019 – Senator Loren Legarda and Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III joined Ambassador to Germany Ma. Theresa Dizon-De Vega in paying tribute to Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal on his 158th birth anniversary in Berlin on 19 June 2019.
The three officials visited the apartment building located at the corner of Jägerstrasse and Glinkastrasse (Jägerstrasse 71), where Dr. Rizal lived and completed his seminal novel, Noli Me Tangere.
The three officials offered bouquets of flower before the marker on the building’s façade commemorating the Filipino national hero’s stay. Each of them represented an aspect of Dr. Rizal’s polymathic character: Senator Legarda on his role as an advocate of Philippine culture, Secretary Bello on his having been one of the earliest overseas Filipinos, and Ambassador De Vega on his contribution to diplomacy by serving as a bridge between Asia and Europe. Also present were Embassy other officers and staff.
Dr. Rizal lived in Berlin from November 1886 to May 1887 and immersed himself in German life and culture, while at the same time advancing his medical and scientific knowledge and using his pen to advocate for reforms to Spanish rule over the Philippines. END
Embassy officers and staff joined the three officials in paying tribute to Dr. Rizal on his birthday. (photo: Berlin PE)
For more information, visit https://www.berlinpe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philippine-embassy.de or https://www.facebook.com/PHinGermany.