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 Schuffhausen City and cantonal officials with Ambassador Lazaro in front of Jose Rizal marker. (Left photo) Ambassador Lazaro and the Filipino-Swiss Community in front of the Rizal Marker;
(Right photo) Reception at Haus der Wirtschaft.
Philippine Embassy In Switzerland and the City Of Schaffhausen
Celebrate the 149th Birthday Of Dr. Jose P. Rizal
The celebration started with a walk
from the city square - where the Philippine flag was hoisted
along with the flags of the Canton and the City of
Schaffhausen. The walk proceeded towards the
historical marker dedicated to Dr. Jose Rizal, installed in
the former Hotel Muller, presently the office of Credit
Suisse.. During the wreath-laying ceremony,
Ambassador Lazaro and the City official Mr. Urs Hunziker paid tribute
to the Philippine national hero who visited Schaffhausen on June 2-3,
1887.
A reception followed at the Haus der
Wirtschaft, the city government tourist center, a modern but
historical building.
In his address to around 70
guests – comprised of Schaffhausen officials
and Filipino-Swiss families residing in the canton - Mr.
Hunziker highlighted Dr. Rizal’s appreciation of Switzerland and the
Swiss struggle for democracy, which prompted the hero to
translate the Swiss classic play William Tell of Friedrich Schiller
from German to Tagalog. He said that Wilhelm
Tell is a symbol of Swiss democracy and Dr. Rizal strongly
identified with this figure. .
On her
part, Ambassador Lazaro, cited the parallelism between the two
countries in their struggle for freedom from
oppression. She thanked the cantonal and city
officials for the tribute given to our national hero, which is
also a tribute to the Filipino Swiss community and the
Philippines.
Dr. Jose P. Rizal visited Switzerland
from June 2 to 27, 1887, from Germany. He visited the
Rhine Falls, stayed one night in the nearby
Schaffhausen, and then proceeded to the other Swiss cities
of Basel, Berne, Lausanne and Geneva.
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