Watch more News on iWantTFC

In commemoration of the 161st birth anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) unveiled a historical marker on the monument of the Philippine national hero in Airdrie, Canada. This recognizes the Rizal monument as the first of its kind in the province of Alberta.

"Finally, we were able to complete the Rizal monument with the installation of the four flagpoles, spotlight, and the historical marker coming from the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. With this historical marker, this monument is now part of the national registry of historical sites of the Philippines. This is now a Philippine historical site," Philippine Consul General for Alberta and Saskatchewan Zaldy Patron said.

Representatives from NHCP traveled all the way from Manila to personally administer the installation of the historical marker. The NHCP is the primary Philippine government agency responsible for the promotion of Philippine history. Part of its mandate is to declare historically significant sites, structures, events, and personages within and outside the Philippines.

"Nagpapasalamat po kami sa Filipino community na very active para ipagpatuloy na kahit nandito sila sa malayo, naipagpatuloy ang ating culture at lalo na ang ating kasaysayan para maipamana pa sa mga susunod pa ng mga generation," NHCP Executive Director Carminda Arevalo said.

(We are thankful to the Filipino community who are very active in keeping our culture and history alive, even if they’re abroad, so that we can pass them on to the next generation.)

The installation ceremony was attended by Philippine Ambassador to Canada Rodolfo Robles as well as representatives from the government of Alberta, city government of Airdrie and the Filipino community.

Robles called it a very historic moment. "Very memorable day for us," he added. "I hope Filipinos will always drop by and recall the life and works of Dr. Jose Rizal. while they are recalling his life, They should enjoy together as a community because that is what Rizal died for, for the Filipinos of the future."

Alberta's Minister of Culture Ron Orr took the time to acknowledge the meaningful contributions of the Filipino community in the province.

"Thrilled to be [at the ceremony] today with the Filipino community as we unveil the Historic Jose Rizal monument. First one in Alberta. Wanted to share this with the Filipino community; so glad to have them in Alberta," Orr said.

The Dr. Jose Rizal monument project is the Philippine Consulate General-Calgary’s biggest cultural diplomacy project to date, highlighting the cultural and historical identity of the 175,000 Filipinos living in Alberta.