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                                      Jose P Rizal
The Pride of the Malay Race is Coming Back to Hudson
The first organic act, known as the Philippine Bill of 1902, was passed by the
 U.S. Congress. It called for the management of Philippine affairs, upon
restoration of peace, by establishing the first elective Philippine Assembly
and the Taft Commission comprising the lower and upper house,
respectively, of the Philippine Legislature. The passage of the Act may
be attributed in part to José Rizal and his stirring last farewell to his
beloved country immortalized in his poem, Mi Ultimo Adios, that he wrote
in his cell at Fort Santiago on the eve of his execution by the Spaniards
on December 30, 1896. At first, there was strong opposition to the
passage of the bill from misinformed members of the House, some of whom
referred to the Filipinos as "barbarians" incapable of self government.
Thereupon, Congressman Henry A. Cooper of Wisconsin took the floor and
 recited Rizal's last farewell before a skeptical House. Silence soon
 pervaded the floor as Cooper, eyes moist with tears and voice deep with
 emotion, recited the poem stanza by stanza. Soon after his recitation,
 Cooper thunderously asked his colleagues might there be a future for such
 a barbaric, uncivilized people who had given the world a noble man as
 Rizal. The vote was taken on the bill, and passed the House.
                                            MI ULTIMO ADIOS

                                 por Jose Rizal y Alonso

First stanza             Adios, Patria adorada, region del sol querida,
                                Perla del Mar de Oriente, nuestra perdido Eden!
                                A darte voy alegre la triste mustia vida,
                                Y fuera mas brillante, mas fresca, mas florida,
                                Tambien por ti la diera, la diera por tu bien.

Last stanza               Adios, padres y hermanos, trozos del alma mia;
                                Amigos de la infancia en el perdido hogar,
                                 Dad gracias que descanso del fatigoso dia.
                                 Adios, dulce extranjera, mi amiga, mi alegria!
                                 Adios, queridos seres. Morir es descansar.


 


It is a great poem.   The style is only exceeded by his passion.

From Jose Rizal diary's as he compared the Rivers of  Pasig, Hudson and the
World. I share his observation that all the great cities are fed by famous rivers.
The Hudson River, which runs along, carries many boats. We crossed over a bridge. The landscape is beautiful; and it is not inferior to the best in Europe. We are going
 along the banks of the Hudson. They are very beautiful, although a little
 more solitary than those of the Pasig. There were ships, boats, trees,
 hills; and the major part is cultivated. The Hudson is wide. Beautiful ships.
 Sliced granite rocks were paved along the railroads. Some points widely
 extended. There were beautiful houses between trees. Day fine. Our grand
 transcontinental trip ended on Sunday, May 13, 1888 We passed through various
 arches in tunnels.  The Hudson as described by Jose Rizal as he sailed for Europe
 on his way to writing his second novel.

His two political novels inspired the revolution and brought the short lived Philippines'
Independence just over 100 years ago.  He was however advocating  peaceful
reform all his life in the present day tradition of Gandi and Martin Luther King Jr.  He was a Renaissance man and a prophet.  But I wonder if he knew
that the United States would soon be replacing the long reigning Spanish Regime.  His last farewell made sure that empire's authority would not happen again.  The US Congress agreed.

The pride of the Malay Race will be returning to Hudson.  The Mayor has committed
to the Filipino-American community the installation of the statue of Dr Jose P. Rizal donated by the  Philippine Centennial Commission through the Order of the Knights of Rizal, New Jersey Chapter.  It  will be erected on the corner of Columbus Drive and Brunswick Street.  The city council is schedule to pass the resolution as various city agencies spearheded by the Filipino Deputy Mayor Linda Mayo is working to establish the Dr Jose P Rizal Plaza in his honor and to acknowledge the Philippine-American community contribution to Jersey City.

Nestor Palugod Enriquez
phix7@yahoo.com Nestor Palugod Enriquez


In this centennial decade Rizal Monuments are planed for construction in the various cities of the United States as reported by the PNA..

Chicago: The site of Rizal's monument

   By Lynda B. Valencia

     CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, Mar. 1 (PNA) - - The City of Chicago, known
as the "Windy City" will be the site of our pride --a monument of our
national hero, Dr.Jose P. Rizal will be constructed here soon.
   Chicago was also the venue of the signing of the charter
affiliation agreement between the National Press Club of the
Philippines (NPC) headed by its President Alfredo Gabot of the Manila
Bulletin and NPC Phil. Midwest headed by Bart Tubalinal.
    Just recently, the City of Chicago finally gave its green light
to the Park District of Chicago to accept the donation from the
Philippine government through the Philippine Centennial Commission
(PCC) of a double life size statue of Dr. Jose P. Rizal.
     A meeting was held between Dr. Max Basco, chairman of the PCC,
Chicago-Midwest and the Park District authorities, Dr. Larouche,
chair of the architectural committee; Julia Bacharach, a Park
District conservator, and a representative of Alderman Schulter to
discuss the project.
    Basco said the Rizal monument here will be another significant
accomplishment of the Filipino Americans, adding "this monument, the
one of only two double life size monuments of the hero in Continental
USA, and one of the five outside the Philippines will be a symbol of
our concerted effort to show our great heritage and bond as a
people."
      The other four locations are: Madrid, Spain; Heidelberg,
Germany, Cherry Hill, New jersey; and Honolulu, Hawaii.
    The Park district officials after evaluating the artistic merits
of the monument have chosen to locate it on the north side of
Chicago, between Lawrence and Wilson and Lakeshore Drive.
    A site fronting the Louis Weiss Hospital was eventually selected
from choice of three provided by the Park District.
     The officials recommended that the statue's pedestal be granite.
It also requires that the additional finishing, reinforcements,
protective coating have to be made on the statue. It also imposes
requirements for the provisions for lighting and water supply.
      The groundbreaking ceremony is expected to be scheduled to
coincide with the 138th birth anniversary of the national hero, June
19.
     The suggested investment for the said project has been placed at
$100,000.00. The breakdown is as follows: pedestal, $30,000; lighting
and water supply, $30,000; modifications to the statue $10,000 and
perpetual maintenance endowment,$30,000.
     The Park District also requires that inscription on the bronze
plaque, which will come from the National Historical Institute (NHI)
of the Philippines, shall be limited to Dr. Rizal and/or to the
Fil-Am Community at large.
   Another plaque recognizing the project's major benefactors,
however, will be installed and displayed in nearby Margate Park
Fieldhouse.
     Basco, who visited the Philippines earlier, plans to invite
President Estrada to attend the dedication ceremony.
   Among the prime movers of the project are the Knights of Rizal and
the Philippine American Cultural Foundation.