Rizal's 141st birthday observed in Camden

Remembering Rizal in Camden. Ambassador Cesar B. Bautista speaks on the timeless relevance of Rizal at ceremonies commemorating the hero’s 141^st birthday. Also shown in photo are Knights of Rizal commander Barry Bowman (2^nd, left), Ana Bowman (2^nd, right) and members of Maclariz and Kapariz.

In celebration of Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal’s 141^st birth anniversary, which is June 19, a wreath-laying ceremony and cultural program were held on June 23 at the Chalk Farm Library in Camden, where Rizal used to live when he was in London in 1888 on a narrow quiet street called Chalcott Crescent.

Through the efforts of the UK chapter of the Knights of Rizal, a bronze bust of the Philippine national hero enjoys a place of honor inside the library, while a park bench has been dedicated to his memory at the nearby Chalcott Square.

Ambassador Cesar B. Bautista and Knights of Rizal UK chapter commander Barry Bowman led off the commemoration with a laying of wreathes before the bust of the hero, followed by speeches on the timeless relevance of Rizal to the Filipino nation, particularly the Filipino youth. In his remarks, the Ambassador described Rizal as "the pride of the Malay people, and one of the finest to have been produced by the human race." The hero, he said, has enjoyed a "universal recognition of his genius, his vision, and his profound contribution to the fund of human knowledge and to the heroic chapters of history."

"More than a century before the advent of the global village, Rizal and others like him were already citizens of the world, travelling in Europe and America, soaking up liberal and liberating ideas, writing incessantly, working tirelessly towards ending colonial enslavement and towards the recognition of the equality of all peoples of the world," Ambassador Bautista said, and furthermore: "In that great adventure, Rizal was among many who found in London a sanctuary for the mind, a refuge for the soul, and here in freedom he wrote parts of his social novel that would later shake the foundations of the colonial order in the Philippines."

The Ambassador described a picture of Rizal’s time, and the relevance of the hero’s life to our own period:

"That era seems so far removed from us now, but it is not difficult to imagine how the hero must have felt then. While he was breathing the air of freedom, he must have been tormented by the thoughts of the loved ones he had left behind, and above all, by the sorry conditions under which his compatriots lived and labored. As an overseas Filipino in the 19^th century, he was here not to flee from hardship and seek economic security but -- at great personal cost, and with risks to his family -- to continue fighting for reforms at home.

"The legacy of Dr. Jose Rizal is for all time. His novels helped stoke the fires of revolution which gave birth to our nation. His ideas on education, civic duty and governance still form the basis for the ideal Filipino society that, we hope, we can still achieve someday. And the breadth and depth and versatility of his wisdom and intelligence still constitute a universal standard against which human achievement can be measured.

"It is no wonder, then, that accolades for Rizal have come from all parts of the world, and from men of like mind and spirit; no wonder, then, that anyone who comes upon the story of Rizal of the Philippines cannot but be overwhelmed and awestruck that such a person could have walked the earth, and most importantly, could have given his young and productive life in martyrdom for the noblest cause of all."

Barry Bowman, for his part, read out a long list of the national hero’s credentials as a Renaissance Man, whose mastery of many branches of arts and sciences, proficiency in several world languages, as well as athletic prowess indeed set him apart from the ordinary, and which have never been equalled since

A special part of the ceremony was the induction of the new members of Kapariz, the youth arm of the Knights of Rizal. The Sampaguita performing group rendered folk dance numbers and songs, followed by a salo-salo of Filipino delicacies prepared by the Maclariz.

Officers and members of the Knights of Rizal, Maria Clara ni Rizal and Kabataan ni Rizal are shown with Ambassador Bautista and Mrs. Ma. Paz Bautista at the Rizal commemoration at the Chalk Farm library in Camden. Also in photo is Fr. Claro Conde