PH Consulate General in Chicago Leads Commemoration of 158th Birth Anniversary of Jose Rizal
Philippine Consulate in Chicago officers and staff and Knights of Rizal (KOR) officers lead the wreath laying ceremony at the Rizal Monument in Margate Park, Chicago. In this photo (from left) Maynilad Chapter Deputy Commander Sir Alvar Rosales, Maynilad Chapter's Sir Ceasar Balarbar, Malaya Chapter's Sir Nick Gilana, Chicago Chapter's Sir Delfin Masangcay, Malaya Chapter Commander Ed Ramos, Chicago Chapter Commander Sir Bishop Eli Pascua, USA Central Area Commander Sir Anong Santos, Maynilad Chapter's Sir Consul Ryan Francis Gener, Chicago Chapter's Sir Willi Buhay, and Maynilad Chapter's Sir Butch Odulio. (Chicago PE photo)
CHICAGO 03 July 2019 - The Philippine Consulate General in Chicago led the wreath-laying ceremony in commemoration of the 158th birth anniversary of Dr. Jose P. Rizal at the Rizal Monument located at Margate Park in Chicago on 19 June 2019.
Consulate General officers and staff, together with Order of the Knights of Rizal in Chicagoland commanders and members, attended the ceremony. The floral offering was followed by the singing of the Philippine and American national anthems and a short program highlighting the Rizal-related events of the past year and upcoming plans to promote understanding of the national hero.
Dr. Rizal was born in Calamba, Laguna on 19 June 1861. In 1888, he embarked on a journey across the United States. On 11 May 1888, Dr. Rizal made a 14-hour stopover in Chicago as part of a trip by train from Oakland, California to New York, where he boarded a transatlantic ship to England for his second stay in Europe.
The Rizal Monument in Chicago, which was created by Antonio “Lito” Mondejar and is a bronze replica of the Rizal monument in Dapitan, was unveiled in 1999 to commemorate the centennial of Philippine Independence.
According to the Chicago Park District, it was an initiative of the Order of the Knights of Rizal and Ladies of Rizal and was funded by the Philippine Centennial Commission. Chicago Park District views Rizal as “a revolutionary martyr and Philippine hero from the Spanish Colonial period. Rizal was a writer, doctor, farmer, artist, and activist whose military trial and execution are often considered the catalyst of the Philippine Revolution against Spain and the United States.”
Earlier on 11 June 2019, public historian and Rizal scholar Dr. Ambeth Ocampo delivered a stirring and well-attended lecture in Chicago entitled “Rizal: The Hero as Traveler”, in connection with Philippine Independence Day, considered the birthday of the Philippines as a nation which Dr. Rizal inspired. END
For more information, visit https://www.chicagopcg.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.chicagopcg.com or https://www.facebook.com/PHinChicago/.