A 10-foot-tall monument bearing a three-foot bust of the Philippines’ national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, sculpted by Filipino multi-media artist and University of the Philippines professor Toym Imao will soon rise in Nose Creek Regional Park in Airdrie, the first installation of its kind in Alberta and Western Canada.
The Rizal Monument Project in Airdrie was initiated by the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) and is being implemented in partnership with the Airdrie City Council and FAA.
The groundbreaking of the statue in the public park was held to mark the 160th birth anniversary of the Filipino polymath on June 19, 2021.
During the ceremony, Consul General Zaldy Patron gave honor to Dr. Jose Rizal who was born in Calamba, Laguna, Philippines. He recalled that Dr. Rizal was an ophthalmologist, novelist, poet, sculptor, painter, and fencer who was also skilled in many other fields.
The Rizal monument in Alberta, home to the second-largest Filipino community in Canada, is expected to be completed in October 2021.
“It is just fitting that the Province of Alberta, which hosts 175,000 Filipinos, the second-largest Filipino community in Canada, should have its own Rizal Monument that will be a source of pride for all Filipinos in the province,” Consul General Zaldy Patron said.
“The Rizal Monument is also the Philippine Consulate General’s (PCG’s) humble way of promoting the Philippine heritage in the province and in Canada,” Consul General Patron adds.
Airdrie Mayor Peter Brown said the monument aims to recognize Dr. Jose Rizal’s achievements and promotes more diversity and inclusivity in the city.
A life-sized bronze monument to the Philippines’ Jose Rizal also stands in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and in Canada’s own version of Manila’s Luneta Park Gardens.
The world’s largest solar portrait paying tribute to the Philippines’ national hero Jose Rizal was earlier unveiled in Luneta Park, Manila to commemorate the Filipino polymath’s 124th year of martyrdom.
SEND CHEERS in the comments below to the Philippine Consulate General and the Airdrie City Council for honoring the Philippines’ national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, with a ten-foot-tall monument with a bust sculpture by Toym Imao that will soon rise in Nose Creek Regional Park in Airdrie.
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