6 January 2015 - On 27 December 2014, Filipino community members traveled by bus to the Rizal Memorial site in Wassen, Canton of Uri to join the Filipino nation in commemorating the 118th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal.  The Filipino community members made a flower offering at Rizal bust.

On 29 December 2014, the Philippine Embassy in Berne got together in a simple program to remember the heroism of our national hero.  In his message to the Embassy personnel and family members present, Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland Leslie Baja called on all Filipino public servants to emulate the teachings of Dr. Rizal on freedom and love for country. 

On 30 December 2014, amidst the heavy snow, Ambassador Baja personally visited the Rizal bust in Wassen to pay respects to the national hero.

The Rizal bust, which was donated by the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts, was inaugurated by Ambassador Baja on 29 August 2014.

The establishment of the first ever Rizal Memorial site in Switzerland was initially broached by the National Parks Development Committee in commemoration of the 100th anniversary in 2013 of the Rizal Monument in Luneta.

The Luneta monument was sculpted by Swiss sculptor Richard Kissling in Wassen. The city was home to Rieswald quarry where the Gotthard granite used for the obelisk and shaft of the Rizal monument that now stands proud in Rizal Park in Manila. The Luneta monument was even briefly exhibited in Wassen before it was shipped to the Philippines in 1912.

The Ambassador encourages all Filipinos in Switzerland to remember and emulate Dr. Jose Rizal’s keen interest and love of learning, his service to the people, and his patriotism.  END