President Arroyo unveiled on Sunday the bust of Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal at the newly named Rizal Park in Lima, Peru.
The unveiling rites were held on the last day of her visit to Peru to attend the two-day 16th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ meeting at the Ministry of Defense Convention Center in Lima.
Welcoming the President at the Rizal Park at the Avenida La Floresta and Paseo de los Eucaliptos were La Molina District Mayor Luis Dibos Vargas Prada; Philippine ambassador to Chile, Peru and Ecuador Ambassador Maria Consuelo Puyat Reyes; and some 50 Filipina nuns and members of the Filipino community in Peru.
The ceremony was kicked off by Prada’s welcome remarks, followed by the singing of the national anthems of the two countries, and then by the unveiling of the bronze bust of Rizal by Mrs. Arroyo and the mayor.
In his remarks, Prada said they are honored with the presence of the President, adding that Peruvians can learn from Rizal’s patriotism.
The bust of Rizal was designed by Czech sculptor Libor Piszlac of Litomerice, Czech Republic, the place where Rizal’s friend, Ferdinand Blumentritt, once lived.
The bust is mounted atop a quadrilateral pedestal where four inaugural plaque markers are mounted on each side.
Inscribed in one marker are the words: “Dr. Jose P. Rizal, Heroe Nacional de Filipinas, Nacionalista, Reformador Political, Escritor, Linguistica y Poeta, 1861-1896.”
Inscribed in another marker are the details of the formal inaugural rites led by Mrs. Arroyo and witnessed by Prada.
The bust of Rizal was donated by Hans Gunter Schoof – a German married to a Filipina from Baclayon, Bohol – who is a passionate admirer of Rizal, especially the national hero’s exploits in Germany.
Schoof now owns a plush resort in Bohol which boasts of a fine collection of Rizal memorabilia.
The establishment of the Rizal Park in Lima was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Philippine Honorary Consulate in Peru and the municipality of La Molina.