A Hero’s Vision Lives On: Rizal’s Legacy Honored Through Sight-Saving Service in Barcelona
Senior citizen patients served by Dra. Maria de la Paz in partnership with the Philippine Consulate General in Barcelona
BARCELONA 23 June 2025 — In honor of the 164th birth anniversary of Philippine national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal, the Philippine Consulate General in Barcelona held a commemorative activity that paid tribute to Rizal’s enduring legacy through a compassionate act of service to the Filipino community.
Dr. Jose Rizal, revered not only as a patriot but also as a gifted ophthalmologist, studied medicine at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila and completed his specialization in ophthalmology in France and Germany. His life’s work reflected a powerful blend of intellect, compassion, and nationalism—values that continue to inspire Filipinos around the world.
In a gesture that beautifully echoed Rizal’s dual legacy in service to country and medicine, the Consulate General partnered with Dr. Maria Fideliz Dalisay de la Paz, a highly accomplished ophthalmologist and long-time resident of Barcelona. Widely respected across the world in her field of expertise (artificial corneas), Dr. de la Paz is a graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine and of the Instituto Universitario Barraquer in Barcelona, where she completed her master’s degree in Anterior and Posterior Segment. To crown her impressive academic journey, she graduated cum laude with a doctorate on Artificial Cornea Boston Keratoprosthesis. Like Jose Rizal, her love for writing has been honed by publishing scientific manuscripts and book chapters in ophthalmology since 2003. Dra. de la Paz, an esteemed physician in the medical community, continues to exemplify Filipino excellence not only in Spain but globally as well.
As part of the commemoration, the Consulate arranged for Dr. de la Paz to provide free eye consultations to several Filipino senior citizens in Barcelona. The initiative provided comprehensive eye checkups, examinations, and expert medical advice, delivered with exceptional professionalism, kindness, and generosity. Beyond promoting the health and well-being of the elderly, this initiative stood as a moving homage to Rizal’s legacy as a healer, intellectual, and champion of the Filipino people.
“Dr. Rizal’s legacy is not only etched in our history books but also lives on through acts of service,” said Philippine Consul General to Barcelona, Maria Theresa S.M. Lazaro. Like Rizal, whose life was marked by unwavering dedication to the welfare of his countrymen, the Consulate aims to be a steady presence for Filipinos in Spain, offering not only consular support but also programs that promote well-being, unity, and national pride. END
The initial batch of Filipino senior citizens in Barcelona offered free eyecare by Dra. Maria Fideliz Dalisay de la Paz
For more information,visit https://barcelonapcg.dfa.gov.ph/ or https://www.facebook.com/PHinBarcelona/.