![](https://philcongencalgary.org/public/blogs/2024/01/pcg-calgary-and-filipino-community-to-hold-125th-philippine-independence-day-celebrations-at-rizal-monument-in-airdrie-alberta20240128055415.png)
Calgary, 6 June 2023 – The Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in
Calgary and the Filipino community in Alberta will hold the celebration of the
125th Anniversary of the Declaration of the Philippine Independence on 11 June
2023, Sunday, at the Dr. José Rizal Monument at Nose Creek Regional Park in
Airdrie, Alberta, Canada.
With the theme “Kalayaan, Kinabukasan,
Kasaysayan” (Freedom, Future, History), it will be the first Philippine
Independence Day celebration to be held at the Rizal Monument, which was
unveiled to the public on 23 October 2021.
On 19 June 2022, the National Historical
Commission of the Philippines designated the Rizal Monument in Airdrie as a
Philippine Historical Site for being the first Philippine monument and the
first monument of the Philippine national hero in Alberta.
The Rizal Monument in Airdrie was a project
initiated and led by the PCG in partnership with the Airdrie City Council,
Filipino Airdrie Association, Rizal Monument Project Team, and the 46 major
sponsors and 201 brick donors
“It is only fitting that we remember our heroes
and hold our 125th Philippine Independence Day at the very first Dr. Jose Rizal
Monument and the only Philippine Historical Site in Alberta,” said Consul
General Zaldy Patron.
Rizal, the Philippine national hero, became the inspiration of Filipino revolutionary leaders who fought the Spanish colonizers and won the independence for the Philippines on 12 June 1898.
The festivities on 11 June will begin at 1:00 PM
with a Philippine Independence Day Tagalog Mass at St. Paul’s Catholic Church,
which is a few steps away from the Rizal Monument.
A formal program will follow at 3:00 PM at the
Rizal Monument. It will include the raising of the Philippine flag and wreath
laying ceremony.
There will also be a cultural program that will
feature more than 20 performers who will perform dances, songs, poem recitals,
martial arts demonstrations, and fashion shows.
Various non-profit groups will have booths to
give information about their social services and programs for the Filipino
community. A Rizal Booth will provide information to the public about the
Philippine national hero.
In addition, traditional Filipino games will be
exhibited.
The public is encouraged to bring their own food
and drinks, and join the community picnic during the celebration.
Several Filipino community organizations and
individuals have volunteered and partnered with the PCG to organize these
Philippine Independence Day activities.