7 January 2016 - The Philippine Embassy in Doha commemorated the 119th Death Anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal with readings from his patriotic swan song and an original declamation piece from a young Rizal.

The short program was held on December 29, 2015 at the Embassy open grounds. It began with the singing of the national anthem followed by the reading of the holiday and year-end message of Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario by Deputy Head of Mission Gonar B. Musor.

Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Wilfredo C. Santos then delivered his Rizal Day message. “Rizal was a man of peace. He was a man of letters. He was not really a revolutionary in the traditional sense but his ideals kept the fire for revolution, for change, for liberty and encouraged our countrymen to fight for a cause that eventually led to the establishment of the first Philippine Republic,” Ambassador Santos said.

Excerpts from Dr. Rizal’s famous poem “Mi Utimo Adios” were then read in English and Arabic. The Arabic translation was made through the courtesy of Mr. Faisal Musa, the Embassy interpreter/translator.

The Embassy also mentioned that in October 2012, the Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) turned over an Arabic translation of Mi Ultimo Adios inscribed on a special plaque to the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) as a special gift. It was unveiled at the Rizal Shrine at Fort Bonifacio, Intramuros, and then turned over to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

The 30-minute program ended with a strong and very moving performance from Mr. Nur Mohammad Gandamra Lucman, a student of the Philippine School Doha who was the Over-All Champion at the 2015 Young Jose Rizal of the 13th Middle East and Africa Region Knights of Rizal Inter-School Academic, Talent and Skills Competition held in September 2015 in Bahrain.

All guests and attendees were then invited to a simple breakfast specially prepared for the occasion. END