PH EMBASSY IN NAIROBI COMMEMORATES RIZAL DAY 2022
Chargé d’affaires, ad interim, Maria Rosanna O. Josue (leftmost) delivers her brief remarks on the observance of the 126th anniversary of the martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal.
NAIROBI, 29 December 2022 – The Philippine Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya commemorated the 126th anniversary of the martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal through a simple ceremony held on 29 December 2022 at the Embassy grounds.
Reflecting on this year’s theme “Rizal: Alaalang Iningatan, Yaman Ngayon ng Bayan” (“Rizal: Preserved Memories Treasured Today by the Nation”), Chargé d’affaires, ad interim, Maria Rosanna O. Josue gave a brief message that emphasized the importance of knowing and respecting the country’s history. She also stressed that the legacies of heroes such as Dr. Jose Rizal, which contributed to nation-building, must be treasured and must provide an inspiration to all Filipinos, wherever in the world they may be.
Early this year, the Embassy donated English-translated copies of Rizal’s novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo to the Kenyan National Library Service (KNLS) to share his life and works with Kenyan readers.
In 1898, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo decreed the designation of the 30th of December, the anniversary of Rizal’s execution by firing squad in Bagumbayan in Manila in 1896, as a national day of mourning to honor Rizal and other Filipino patriots who resisted the three centuries of Spanish rule. In 1902, the Philippine Commission under the American colonial period passed Act. No. 345, which declared the 30th of December as an official holiday in the Philippines. Since then, Filipinos annually observe Rizal Day to commemorate the life and legacy of one of the country’s most revered national heroes. END
Nairobi PE personnel started the commemoration of Rizal Day 2022 with a flag-raising ceremony.
