Philippine Embassy in Tokyo Celebrates 150th Birth Anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal
Amb. Manuel M. Lopez and personnel of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo marking the 150th birth anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal at the bust of the national hero in Hibiya Park, Tokyo.
Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manuel L. Lopez led the personnel of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo in celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal in a wreath-laying ceremony held on 19 June 2011, 8:30 a.m. at the bronze bust of the national hero located in Hibiya Park in Tokyo.
Hibiya Park is a large park beside the Imperial Palace. Rizal’s bust stands along a trail within the park, a testimony to his brief visit to the capital of Japan in February and March 1888 before he went to Europe. According to historians, the bust is located at the site of the Tokyo Hotel, where Rizal stayed as a tourist.
In his remarks at the wreath-laying ceremony, Ambassador Lopez posed a question for the reflection of the Embassy personnel: “If Rizal were alive today, what would he have done to help our countrymen as well as the people of Japan after Great East Japan Earthquake?” The Ambassador said that he himself thought about the actions Rizal would have taken after the disaster if he were the Philippine Ambassador to Japan.
The ceremony also included a reading of an excerpt from Chapter 63 of Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere by Embassy personnel. The English text of the excerpt was read by Ms. Ma. Theresa F. Albano while the Japanese version was read by Consul Christian L. De Jesus.
Ambassador Manuel L. Lopez leads the personnel of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo in a wreath-laying ceremony on the 150th Birth Anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal at Hibiya Park, Tokyo.
A reading from Rizal’s “Noli Me Tangere” by Consul Christian L. De Jesus.
Amb. Manuel L. Lopez at the bronze bust of Dr. Jose Rizal in Hibiya Park - the site of the Tokyo Hotel where Rizal stayed as a tourist.
