30 January 2015 – The Philippine Consulate General in Sydney, the Order of the Knights of Rizal (OKOR)-Sydney Chapter, and the Tagalog Association of Australia (TAA) launched a series of seminar-workshops by Prof. Floro Quibuyen entitled, “Rizal, the Noli-Fili and the Struggle for a Better Society: Lessons for the 21st Century”, at the Mt. Druitt Hub in Blacktown City, New South Wales, Australia, on January 24.
At the launch, Prof. Floro Quibuyen, Filipino historian and anthropologist and a member of the faculty of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, and the University of Hawaii in Manoa, respectively, gave a preview of the workshop sessions, focusing on how a study of Rizal’s life and writings are relevant to modern life and to the quest for a better society.
Philippine Consul General Anne Jalando-on Louis thanked OKOR-Sydney Chapter Commander Ralph Posadas and Tagalog Association of Australia (TAA) President Danny Peralta, also an OKOR officer, for collaborating with the Consulate on the workshop series. She also thanked and commended Prof. Quibuyen for contributing his time and effort in conducting the workshop and for his dedication to promoting understanding and appreciation of Rizal, his works, and his legacy to the Filipino people. She also requested the Filipino community leaders present to encourage the youth in the community to attend the seminar-workshops to learn more about the Philippine national hero and to appreciate that his thinking and his ideas are relevant in tackling modern-day challenges and in gaining a deeper understanding of our identity as Filipinos.
The seminar-workshops will comprise six sessions lasting three hours each to be held every other Saturday from March to May this year. Prof. Quibuyen asked would-be participants to read Rizal’s novels, the “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo”, as a minimum requirement.
Around 50 guests including members of OKOR, their families, Filipino community leaders, and members of the Filipino community media were present at the event.
The program for the launch also featured musical numbers by singer-songwriter Rene Tinapay and Filipino-Australian budding singers, 11-year-old Ms. Jasmine Montemayor Henry and Ms. Stephanie Bernardo. END