PH Consulate General in Agana Commemorates 123rd Anniversary of Rizal Martydom
Acting Head of Post Consul Mark Francis C. Hamoy delivers his remarks during the commemoration of the 123rd anniversary of the execution and martyrdom of Philippine National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal held at the Philippine Consulate General in Agana, Guam on 27 December 2019. (Agana PCG photo)
AGANA 08 January 2020 –– The Philippine Consulate General in Agana, together with the Laguna Association of Guam (LAG), as well as the officers and members of various Filipino organizations and the Filipino community of Guam, held a wreath-laying ceremony on 27 December 2019 at the Consulate General’s reception area in advance commemoration of the 123rd anniversary of the martyrdom of Philippine National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal.
President of the Laguna Association of Guam (LAG) Ann San Agustin Leon Guerrero welcomed and thanked the guests, among them are 35th Guam Legislature Senator Joe San Agustin and past LAG President Angel Baldemor who both represented the Masonic District of Guam, for attending the commemoration that LAG has jointly hosted every year with the Consulate General. Other organizations represented during the affair were the Filipino community of Guam, Batangas and Southern Tagalog Association, UP Alumni Guam, Lion’s Club, Apalit Association, and Eskuwelahang Munti ng Guam.
In his message during the occasion, which had for its theme “Jose Rizal: Huwaran ng Pilipino sa Ikadalawampu’t Isang Siglo,” Acting Head of Post Consul Mark Francis C. Hamoy said that, “[Rizal] lived and died for this yet unborn nation, a nation only just conceived as an idea in the hearts and minds of our revolutionary forebears. There was no reality of that country yet, but Rizal's boundless patriotism afforded him such clarity of vision and such purity of love for this place and its people that he was willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice any citizen could offer to his motherland”.
As the 21st century enters its third decade, Consul Hamoy further noted that, “No longer are we required to offer blood, tears, and our very lives as our contribution to making the Philippines a reality. We already have a real country to speak of, to serve with a sense of duty and patriotism”.
Citing Rizal as an enduring exemplar of how to love one’s country, Consul Hamoy exhorted those present to, “Renew in our hearts and minds our determination to manifest in our own lives and the work we do our own versions of Rizal, driven by a shared and steadfast dedication to love, to serve and to bring dignity and glory to our country just as he had”.
Those present then shared in a traditional merienda cena immediately after the short but solemn ceremony. END
Laguna Association of Guam (LAG) President Ann San Agustin Leon Guerrero (rightmost) and Vice President Ellie Baldemor (middle) join Acting Head of Post Consul Mark Francis C. Hamoy (leftmost) as they lead the wreath-laying ceremony on the commemoration of the 123rd anniversary of the martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal held at the Philippine Consulate General in Agana, Guam on 27 December 2019. (Agana PCG photo)
President of the Laguna Assocation of Guam (LAG) Ann San Agustin Leon Guerrero welcomes the dignitaries and other guests who attended the commemoration of the 123rd anniversary of the martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal held at the Philippine Consulate General in Agana, Guam on 27 December 2019. (Agana PCG photo)
Two wreaths were laid alongside the bust of Dr. Jose Rizal at the Philippine Consulate General in Agana, Guam during the advance commemoration of the national hero’s 123rd death anniversary on 27 December 2019. (Agana PCG photo)
Consul and Acting Head of Post Mark Francis C. Hamoy (seated middle, in black) and Vice Consul Alex O. Vallespin (rightmost) with officers and members of the Laguna Association of Guam (LAG) led by its President Ann San Agustin Leon Guerrero (seated, third from left) and representatives of various Filipino organizations on Guam shortly after the commemoration of the 123rd death anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal at the Philippine Consulate General in Agana, Guam on 27 December 2019. (Agana PCG photo)
For more information, visit https://www.aganapcg.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philippinesguam.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHinAgana/.