Press Release No. 66-2018

Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah commemorates Rizal martyrdom with Filipino youth taking the lead

JEDDAH, 30 December - In commemoration of the 122nd anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal's martyrdom, the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah (JPCG), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia held today at the JPCG grounds a flag-raising ceremony and a short programme led by Consulate personnel's dependents.

The children of Consulate personnel took the lead in said commemoration in keeping with the spirit of Dr Jose Rizal's statement that the youth is the hope of the fatherland.

Citing Dr. Jose Rizal's many accomplishments during his lifetime as a patriot and nationalist, Ms. Farrah Jasmine Dingal, daughter of Consul Mary Jennifer Dingal, said in her opening remarks:

"In these times rife with conflict from maritime and territorial disputes and political instability to social inequality, corruption, repression, and secessionist violence, we must begin to ask ourselves how we can contribute to Dr. Jose Rizal’s legacy and vision of a better Philippines."

In his concluding remarks, Consul General Edgar Badajos asked "how can we, especially the Filipino youth of today, contribute to the fulfillment of Dr. Rizal's vision of a better Philippines?" He noted, "We may not be as brilliant and prolific a writer as Dr Jose Rizal, but we can be heroes like him in our own simple ways beginning with conscientiously performing our civic duties as Filipino citizens like following simple traffic rules, dutifully paying our taxes, helping keep our communities clean, and volunteering in socio-civic activities and projects to help the marginalized sectors of our society. If we can do all these and more, our country is not far behind from reaching its goal of genuine change and prosperity for everyone." END