Shanghai, 30 December 2024 – The Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai joined Filipinos across the world in commemorating the 128th anniversary of the martyrdom of Dr. Jose P. Rizal.
Consul General Dinno M. Oblena led the wreath-laying ceremony before the national hero’s bust within the premises of the Consulate General.
Vice Consul Richard L. Recella led the reflection on Dr. Rizal’s life, drawing from the national hero’s 1879 work A La Juventud Filipina (To the Filipino Youth). He invited colleagues to imagine Rizal living in the Philippines of the present, with its opportunities and challenges, and providing counsel to his countrymen. “Rizal would have surely asked each of us to continue to take courage and soldier on through the hardships and, like him, to keep a hunger learning and appetite for achievement,” Vice Consul Recella remarked.
The rites concluded with Consul General Oblena delivering remarks. He encouraged the Philippine Country Team to cherish and spread the invaluable lessons that continue to be gleaned both from Dr. Rizal’s works and his heroic life.
He also conveyed his hope that as diplomats and civil servants representing the Philippines in Shanghai and other areas of jurisdiction, personnel will continue to adhere to Dr. Rizal’s great legacy, adding that this can be done by having the commitment to dedicated service and hard work. He furthered that this can be advanced through the constant search for excellence and self-improvement, as Rizal did in the 35 short years of his life. END
