Ambassador De Vega with Secretary Bello and Senator Legarda
after the floral offering ceremony in front of Rizal’s former flat.(photo:Berlin PE)
Senator Loren Legarda and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III joined Ambassador Ma. Theresa B. Dizon-De Vega in paying tribute to Philippine National Hero Dr Jose Rizal on his 158th birth anniversary in Berlin.
The three officials visited the apartment building located at the corner of Jägerstrasse and Glinkastrasse (Jägerstrasse 71) where Rizal lived and completed his seminal novel, Noli Me Tangere.
The three officials offered bouquets of flower before the marker on the building’s façade commemorating Rizal’s stay. Each of them represented an aspect of Rizal’s polymathic character: Senator Legarda his role as an advocate of Philippine culture, Secretary Bello his having been one of the earliest Overseas Filipinos, and Ambassador De Vega his contribution to diplomacy, by serving as a bridge between Asia and Europe. Also present were other officers and staff of the Embassy.
Embassy officers and staff joined the three officials in paying tribute to the National Hero on his birthday. (photo: Berlin PE)
Rizal lived in Berlin from November 1886 to May 1887 and immersed himself in German life and culture, while at the same time advancing his medical and scientific knowledge and using his pen to advocate for reforms to Spanish rule over the Philippines. (END)
