25 June 2015 – To mark the 154th birth anniversary of the Philippines national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, a traditional wreath laying ceremony was held in the City of Schaffhausen, northern Switzerland on June 19. The ceremony was led by Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland Leslie J. Baja and Schaffhausen City Councillor Simon Stocker.
Schaffhausen was the first Swiss city visited by Rizal in 1887. In Switzerland, he studied how the Swiss fought the Habsburg conquerors and translated Schiller’s novel of William Tell to Tagalog.
Ambassador Baja thanked the Schaffhausen officials for their continuing effort to propagate the memory of Rizal through the annual wreath laying ceremony and cultural activities intended to create greater awareness about the Philippines. END