Secretary Manalo Unveils Rizal Monument in New Delhi
Secretary Enrique A. Manalo, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, and Jaideep Mazumdar, Secretary (East) of the Ministry of External Affairs of India, led the ceremony, marking a special moment in PH-India shared history.
NEW DELHI 24 March 2025 — The memory, heroism and ideals of Dr. José P. Rizal (1861-1896) has been bestowed a spot in the Indian capital with the historic unveiling of the great Filipino hero’s bust by visiting Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo last March 19, 2025.
The monument — the first public memorial in honor of Dr. Rizal anywhere in South Asia — is installed in the garden of the prestigious Jesus and Mary College (JMC) of the University of Delhi, located within the Diplomatic Enclave of Chanakyapuri.
Significantly, JMC is along the eponymous José Rizal Marg (José Rizal Road) dedicated to the hero’s memory in 2001. This is in keeping with the Philippine Embassy’s request before the Indian government that the bust be installed along the route.
The monument’s inauguration marked a further high and celebratory point in the year-long commemoration of 75 years of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and India.
The ceremonial unveiling was led by visiting Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo. Representing the Indian Government was Shri Jaideep Mazumdar, Secretary (East) of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India and former Indian Ambassador to the Philippines.
On hand were Ambassador to India Josel F. Ignacio, MEA Southern Division Joint Secretary Ashis Kumar Sinha, and JMC’s Principal, Professor Sandra Joseph.
The audience included officials from the Philippine Embassy and MEA, JMC administrators, students, and faculty; and members of the Filipino community in New Delhi.
Addressing the gathering, Secretary Manalo referred to the bust of Mahatma Gandhi unveiled in Manila in 2019 by then-President Ram Nath Kovind, and called both “lustrous beacons of the enduring friendship and solidarity between our countries". The Secretary expressed the hope that both sides shall “honor their shared legacies not only by these physical altars of veneration. We hope that this also touches off a thirst for contemporary scholarship on their lives and works, and on broader Philippine Studies and Indian Studies.”
Dr. Rizal’s Delhi monument is the counterpart to the bust of Mahatma Gandhi installed on the grounds of the Center for Peace Education, Miriam College, in 2019 in honor of the 70th jubilee of the two countries’ diplomatic relations.
Delivering the vote of thanks, Ambassador Ignacio thanked the Government of India, particularly MEA and the Ministry of Education, and the JMC, for working with the Embassy to bring the project to reality.
The Ambassador dedicated the project to Philippines-India friendship and to the younger generations. “I thank our beloved youth, the students who are privileged to witness these morning’s ceremonies. I encourage you to learn about what makes these fathers of our nations the great inspiration and lasting source of strength for our respective drives to attaining our national aspirations”, he said.
Diplomatic relations between the Philippines and India were founded on 16 November 1949. In November last year, the Embassy hosted a grand diplomatic reception in honor of the anniversary, graced by no less than Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar. END
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