Jose Rizal marker to be unveiled in Switzerland Dec. 14

A marker honoring Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal will be unveiled on December 14 at the façade of a prestigious hotel in Berne, Switzerland, two weeks before the commemoration of his martyrdom on December 30.   The unveiling by the Philippine Embassy in Berne and the Hotel Schweizerhof Bern will commemorate the stay of Rizal at the Hotel Schweizerhof Bern in 1887.   Expected to lead the unveiling are Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland Leslie Baja, QDHP Swiss Management AG Director Bruno Schöpfer and Schweizerhof Bern General Manager Michael Thomann, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.   “The unveiling of the marker comes at an opportune time as the Philippines is celebrating the 150th anniversary of Rizal’s birth this year.  Similar markers have been installed previously in Schaffhausen and Geneva,” it said.   Rizal (1861-1896) was an intellectual and visionary leader with exemplary devotion to truth and integrity.  He was the brains of the Philippine revolution that led to the birth of the first democracy in Asia in 1898, the DFA said.   While in Switzerland, Rizal visited Schaffhausen, Basel, Berne, Lausanne and Geneva.   “Together with his friend Maximo Viola, Dr. Rizal stayed overnight at the Hotel Schweizerhof Bern from 4 to 5 June 1887.  His choice of Switzerland as a place to visit provided the opportunity not only to enjoy the lovely sceneries of the country but also to experience the legacy of the freedom-loving Swiss personified by the legendary hero William Tell, whose life story he translated into Tagalog, the Philippine national language, for the benefit of the Filipinos who were then struggling for their independence from Spain,” the DFA said.   The sculptor of the Rizal monument in Manila was Swiss artist Richard Kissling, who made the statue of William Tell in Altdorf.   “Kissling thus designed and constructed monuments to two heroes famous for their defense of the rights and the dignity of their peoples,” the DFA said.   Meanwhile, the DFA noted the Philippines and Switzerland will commemorate in 2012 the 150th anniversary of the establishment in 1862 of the first Swiss Consulate in Asia in Manila.   “Through all these years, the Philippines shares with Switzerland the values of democracy, justice and the rule of law, making it Switzerland’s natural partner in Asia,” it said. - VVP, GMA News