Calgary, 2 January 2024 – To mark the 127th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Dr. José Rizal, the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Calgary and the Filipino community in Alberta, Canada, commemorated the life and heroism of the Philippine national hero during an event held on 30 December 2023 at the Dr. José Rizal Monument in Nose Creek Regional Park in Airdrie, Alberta.
Hon. Blake Richards, Member of Parliament (MP) for Banff-Airdrie, and Airdrie City Deputy Mayor Tina Petrow graced the event.
About 150 people from Calgary, Airdrie, and Cochrane joined the event despite the zero-degree Celsius weather.
The biggest contingent came from the five chapters of the newly formed Knights of Rizal – four from Calgary and one from Airdrie.
Sir Mike Lozada, Chapter Commander of KOR Calgary, spoke about the achievements of Dr. Rizal.
Representatives of Al Azhar Shriners, which considers Dr. Rizal as one of its members, were also present at the event.
One of the event’s highlights was Consul General Patron’s handing of plaques of appreciation to the 14 individual Board Members of the Filipino Airdrie Association (FAA) who were involved in the Rizal Monument Project.
MP Richards also awarded certificates of appreciation to five Filipino community leaders from Airdrie (two) and Cochrane (three). He cited them for championing Dr. Rizal’s values and their work in making the Filipino community stronger.
Husband-and-wife violinists Kimwell del Rosario and Mary Grace Martinez-del Rosario of Maple Ridge, British Columbia, also performed a medley of Filipino music during the event. While vacationing in Airdrie to visit a family member, they volunteered to perform when they saw the PCG’s social media announcement about the Rizal Day event.
Ms. Jewel Nierva of Airdrie sang the Philippine national anthem.
It was the third time that the PCG had led the Rizal Day celebration at the Rizal Monument in Airdrie following its unveiling to the public on 23 October 2021.
The Rizal Monument was a project initiated and led by the PCG and jointly undertaken with the Airdrie City Council, the FAA, the Rizal Monument Project Team, the 48 major sponsors, and the 201 brick donors.