LIHUE — Dr. Jose Rizal was executed on Dec. 30, 1896, in the Philippines. “Who would have thought that 117 years following his death, a small little place like Kauai would be celebrating this famous person?” said Charlmaine Bulosan, president
LIHUE — Dr. Jose Rizal was executed on Dec. 30, 1896, in the Philippines.
“Who would have thought that 117 years following his death, a small little place like Kauai would be celebrating this famous person?” said Charlmaine Bulosan, president of the Kauai Community Filipino Council Saturday, the Kauai Rizal Day celebration at Rizal’s statue on the lawn of the Historic County Building. “We still pay tribute because of what he stood for.”
Bulosan said the statue is the site of the yearly Rizal Day service.
“I’ve been attending these for as long as I can remember,” Bulosan said. “My father’s name is on the tag of the contributors to the statue.”
Dr. Ramon de la Pena delivered the invocation at the gathering of nearly 100 people representing the numerous Filipino community groups. He said Dr. Rizal is a national hero, his only crime was passionately trying to show the world that the Philippines is a country of great people capable of accomplishing great things.
“The Filipinos are people who can tolerate the greatest of oppressions such as those they received under the Spanish government, and are resilient to recover from adversities and disasters such as the ones caused by Haiyan, the worst typhoon of the year,” de la Pena said.
Inspired by a plastic wristband bearing the letters, WWJD (What Would Jesus Do), keynote speaker Bennette Misalucha, managing editor of the FilAm Courier, said the letters should read “WWJRD,” standing for “What Would Jose Rizal Do?”
