03 January 2005 - Philippine Ambassador to Canada Jose S. Brillantes reported to the Department of  Foreign Affairs that the Philippine Embassy led the Filipino Community in Ottawa in celebrating on 30 December 2005 the 109th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Jose Rizal, which provided an opportunity to further strengthen the working relations of the Embassy with the community especially in promoting the interest of Filipinos in Canada.

The celebrations were held at the bust of Dr. Jose Rizal, which stands at the main entrance of the City Hall of Gatineau, Quebec.  The event was co-sponsored by the Philippine Heritage Foundation of Canada, whose attending members were headed by the Foundation’s Vice Chair, Sonia del Rosario.  Embassy officers and staff, as well as community leaders and members attended the commemorative rites.

The celebration began with the singing of the Philippine National Anthem, followed by remarks by Ambassador Brillantes, the laying of wreaths and flowers by the Embassy officers and leaders of the Filipino community and a solemn reading of Rizal’s well known poem, “Mi Ultimo Adios,” which he wrote just before he died.    The members of the Filipino community individually read each of the poem’s stanzas.  Community singing of “Bayan Ko” followed the reading.

In his remarks, Ambassador Brillantes recalled the life of Dr. Jose Rizal, and how his martyrdom, and the events that it inspired are now part of the great tapestry that is Philippine history.  He recollected that Rizal’s execution was conceived to silence the then emergent defiant Filipinos, but his death produced just the opposite, inspiring Filipinos in their fight for freedom and independence.

Ambassador Brillantes also called to mind that while Rizal was a man of flesh and blood, with fears and frailties, what made him different was that he chose to sacrifice himself to change what he saw was wrong in order to obtain what he believed was right.

“Remembering that he was only flesh and blood, just like each one of us, we then begin to perceive his greatness when we realize the sacrifice he willingly made.  Can we be like Dr. Jose Rizal?  Do we have what it takes to even begin to approach that level of courage, that level of fearlessness, that denies the human frailty to self-seek and to find comfort, and instead reach out to the bolder ideals of justice and equity?  It is difficult to answer this question, and we can answer it only in the silence of our own thoughts,” Ambassador Brillantes said.

The celebration was followed by a lunch-reception hosted by Ambassador Brillantes, where the Filipino community leaders thanked the Ambassador for the special event.  “We would like to take this opportunity to thank Ambassador Brillantes and the Philippine Embassy for this wonderful morning,” Philippine Heritage Foundation of Canada Vice President Sonia del Rosario said.

Celebrations such as this are always inspiring for those who, like us, are far from home,” Ms. Rosario  added.  “As we express our appreciation, we also renew our commitment to work hand in hand with the Embassy in promoting the interests of the Philippines and the Filipinos in Canada,” she said.

The success of the event led the Embassy and the Filipino Community to start talking about more activities to commemorate Dr. Jose Rizal, such as revitalizing the Knights of Rizal in Ottawa and holding more events that celebrate Rizal’s life and principles. END