Filipinos in Switzerland somewhat feel like they are home when the first Rizal Park in Switzerland was opened just recently. They somehow feel that they are closer to their homes through this. This was actually located in the city of Wassen. This is base on the news in ABS-CBN.
With this, Filipinos in Switzerland feels very grateful to the the people of Wassen as well as the Municipality for making this thing happen. They have been one of the main reason why the said memorial site was established. Since then, it was really a great surprise for Filipinos not just in Switzerland but also in the Philippines to have the Rizal park in that place.
In fact, Philippine Ambassador Leslie Baja spoke about this thing. This is what she said. “The Philippines is extremely grateful to the people of the Canton of Uri and to the Municipality of Wassen for agreeing to the establishment of this memorial site. It was a pleasant surprise that Rizal is known in this part of Uri.”
Actually, it is really one best thing that all Filipinos should be proud off. Our supposed to be national park already had its other site outside the country.
This was actually a donation from the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). It was then unveiled by Baja and Canton Uri Landammann (President) Dr. Heidi Z’graggen.
According to Baja, the legendary Swiss hero who is William Tell had become the inspiration of Rizal in his ideological philosophies. “Incidentally, the legendary Swiss hero William Tell, who was also from Canton Uri, in Altdorf, became an inspiration for Rizal’s ideological philosophies, so much so that he even translated into Tagalog the novel William Tell,” she said.
The said ceremony was witnessed by the officials of Canton Uri, the city of Wassen, and the Philippine embassy as well as Swiss and Filipinos in the said place.