Photoblog of Rizal @ 150

Here are some behind-the-scene photos during the organisation's trip to Heidelberg to celebrate Jose Rizal's 150th birthday anniversary.

The Ladies pose on the castle front

The day before the celebrations, the group took a tour of Heidelberg passing by Rizal's former appartment in the city center and culminating with a visit to the castle.

Here you see the group (Ladies and Knights and their families) posing in front of  Heidelberg's castle.

The Knights pose in the castle front

The Knights also took the opportunity to have their photos taken with the city of Heidelberg and the majestic mountains below them.

Ni Hao, Rizal!

The Ladies and Knights atChina Restaurant Pavilion

On the KOR LFR's recent trip to participate in the 150th birthday celebrations of Dr Jose Rizal (see related post here), the group decided to stop by for lunch at China Restaurant Pavilion at the heart of the historic city of Heidelberg.

KOR LFR Bonn goes to Wilhelmsfeld for Rizal’s 150th Birthday Celebration

Ladies for Rizal Bonn: Lady Aimee, Lady Gloria, Lady Susan, Lady Betty, Lady President Helen and Lady VP Margie

On the occasion of the 150^th birthday of Philippine national hero Dr Jose Rizal on 19 June 2011, the Order of the Knights of Rizal Bonn (KOR) and Kababaihang Rizalista Bonn Chapter (LFR) travelled to Wilhelmsfeld near Heidelberg to actively participate in the anniversary celebrations. 

The day before, the 21-strong group (including 4 children) led by Sir Peter Plückebaum, KGOR, Commander, Bonn Chapter travelled the 250 kilometer stretch between Bonn and Wilhelmsfeld via a convoy of five cars and stayed overnight in a nearby hotel. A tour of the castle and Rizal’s various accommodations in Heidelberg was conducted after arrival to help re-acquaint the KOR LFR Bonn Chapter with the city in which Rizal lived for a few months in 1886. Rizal stayed in Heidelberg to practice Opthalmology after finishing his studies in Paris. It is in Wilhelmsfeld near Heidelberg where Rizal finished his novel entitled “Noli Me Tangere” which first saw publication in Berlin in 1887.

Happy Birthday Pepe and Gloria

The beautiful Lady Gloria Buccat

Today marks the 150th birthday of Jose Rizal (also known by his nickname Pepe), coinciding with the birthday of our very own Lady Gloria Buccat! The occasion was made more special because the birthday girl was in Heidelberg together with the Ladies and Knights of Rizal Bonn to participate in the celebration of Rizal's birthday.

Aquino urges Rizalistas to Continue the Legacy of Jose Rizal

President Benigno S. Aquino III on Thursday challenged the 12,000 strong members of the Knights of Rizal worldwide to continue the legacy of national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, and help the government in the fight against poverty and wrongdoings in the public service.

“The real reason we are gathered here is not just because of an anniversary, not just because of history, but also because of the fact that we must remember and reignite the ideals that our national hero Jose Rizal gave his entire life to. Today is a reminder of the tasks that lay ahead all of us,” the President said.

“You are knights; complete with ranks and insignia, which are recognized by the Honors code of the Philippines as official awards of the Republic, and if you hold strong and continue your dedicated work, and if each and every person in this country does the same, then we will forge further onward into being the Philippines that Jose Rizal once dreamed of, that all of us continue to dream of,” he further said.

 He also urged them to learn the lessons from the famous anecdotes about Rizal particularly when the Spanish doctor noticed that he was perfectly calm minutes before his actual execution. "This is the power of knowing that one is doing the right thing, of having a clear conscience, and we must learn from this,” he said noting that each and every Filipino must have returned to much older, more classical, and much nobler ideals of the country’s heroes - the ideals of honesty, transparency and nationalism.