Rizal play featured in New South Wales

The Rizal Park Movement (RPM) presented Leonor Goquingco's theater piece "Her Son, Jose Rizal" at the Campbelltown Arts Centre in New South Wales, Australia earlier this month. In a news release, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the play about Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal was presented from March 9 to 11 "for the benefit of the Rizal Park where a statue of the Philippine national hero is expected to be installed and unveiled in June this year." The Rizal Park will be built in Rosemeadow, Campbelltown, New South Wales. The cast members, who performed to an audience of around 500, included:  

• Angelo Refuerzo (Jose Rizal)
• Tom Baena (Rizal in prison)
• Isabel Delgado and Belen Mendoza (Doña Teodora)
• Rupert Demonteverde and Bob Mendoza (Father Lopez)
• Danny Rosales (Gov. Izquierda, alternately played by  Rupert Mendoza)
• Rie Manaloto and Patrick Patacsil (Paciano)
• Gerry Musa (Mayor, alternately played by Rie Manaloto)
• Gerard Louis and Elija Merjudio (young Rizal)
• Marianne Cuasay and Isajane Noble (Soledad)
• Rochelle Mantua and Isabelle Montillano (young Soledad), and
• Milan Velaso and Joshua Lapuz as the young Rizal's playmates.

RPM, an association established in 2007, staged the play together with the Campbelltown City Council, the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney, and the Philippine Embassy in Canberra.   Among those present at the gala night presentation on March 10 were:  

• Campbelltown City Mayor Anoulack Chanthivoung
• Federal Members of Parliament Chris Hayes (Representative for Fowler) and Laurie Ferguson (Representative for Werriwa)
• Member of Parliament for Campbelltown Bryan Doyle
• Campbelltown Arts Center Director Michael Dagostino, and
• Millete Orosa, who represented the family of Filipino national artist Leonor Orosa Goquingco.

The play was directed by Rev. Larry Tolentino.  In her remarks before the gala night presentation, Consul General Anne Louis congratulated RPM for promoting awareness about Rizal's life, principles, and achievements.  Jose Rizal

José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda was a Filipino polymath and patriot who advocated for reforms in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era.

Rizal was born to a rich family in Calamba, Laguna on June 19, 1861. He was the seventh child in the family which had 11 children.

He attended various schools: 

• Ateneo Municipal de Manila (earning a Bachelor of Arts);
• University of Santo Tomas (medicine);
• Universidad Central de Madrid in Madrid, Spain (Licentiate in Medicine);
• University of Paris, and
• University of Heidelberg.

Rizal was a polyglot who was conversant in 22 languages.

He was also a poet and novelist and his two most famous works were the "Noli me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo."

On December 30, 1896, Rizal was executed by the Spanish in Bagumbayan.

The date of his death is remembered every year as "Rizal Day." - VVP, GMA News