1 June 2021, Calgary – The Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Calgary, the Airdrie City Council, and the Filipino Airdrie Association (FAA) are jointly building a Rizal Monument in Nose Creek Regional Park in Airdrie, Alberta, Canada.
The idea of building a Rizal Monument was first proposed by Consul General Zaldy Patron to Airdrie Mayor Peter Brown on 22 June 2019 during a Filipino community event in Airdrie and then endorsed by Mr. Jun Martin, FAA President, to Mayor Brown on 23 July 2020.
Consul General Patron presented a formal project proposal to Mayor Brown during their meeting on 29 September 2020. Upon Mayor Brown’s endorsement, Consul General Patron officially presented the Rizal Monument Project on 19 October 2020 to the Airdrie City Council, which approved it in principle.
Consul General Patron then made another presentation to the Community Services Advisory Board (CSAB) of Airdrie on 8 February 2021 to seek its support for the project. The CSAB approved and endorsed the project to the Airdrie City Council.
The Airdrie City Council’s sessions on 1 March 2021 and 6 April 2021 decided in favor of installing the Rizal Monument inside the Nose Creek Regional Park, where many Filipino community events in Airdrie take place.
“On the first day of the Philippine Heritage Month in Canada and 12 days before the 123rd Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Philippine Independence, the PCG is pleased to issue this official announcement on the Rizal Monument Project, which is the PCG’s biggest cultural diplomacy project so far,” Consul General Patron said.
“We are thankful to the Airdrie City Council and the FAA for partnering with the PCG to realize this historic project and to all the businesses, Filipino community organizations, and individuals that are supporting the project. The Rizal Monument will be a tribute to all the hardworking Filipinos in Alberta, which hosts the second largest
Filipino population in Canada, and will be a source of pride for the whole Filipino community,” he added.
The Rizal Monument will feature a three-foot Rizal bust to be sculpted by noted Filipino sculptor Toym Imao who also crafted several Rizal busts in 1998 that were distributed and displayed in various countries as part of the Philippine Centennial celebrations that year. The Rizal bust that will be installed in Airdrie will be made of cast bronze.
“We are very proud and pleased to announce our support for a community project that recognizes and celebrates Airdrie’s unique Filipino heritage. The monument will make a welcome addition to our already beloved Nose Creek Regional Park,” Airdrie Mayor Brown said about the Rizal Monument Project.
Mr. Martin, on the other hand, remarked, “The FAA is honored to work with the PCG and the Airdrie City Council for the construction of the Rizal Monument in Airdrie, where there is a growing Filipino community.”
Overseeing the implementation of the project is the Rizal Monument Project Team (RMPT) formed by the PCG and headed by Consul General Patron. The other members of the RMPT are Benjamin Ang, Julius Jiggs Bascon, Mike Lozada and Jimmy De Leon of Calgary, and Jun Martin and Mark Quintin of Airdrie.
To raise funds for the project, the RMPT will organize the 1st CONGEN Cup Golf Tournament on 3 July 2021 at Woodside Golf Course in Airdrie. The FAA is also accepting donations from individuals whose names will be engraved on bricks that will be placed around the monument.
The Rizal Monument in Airdrie is expected to be completed in October 2021.