CDA Marcos A.S. Punsalang presents the life and literary works of Dr. Jose Rizal to members of the academe and students of the Universidad de Santiago de Chile.
CDA Marcos A.S. Punsalang (4th from left) pose with officers of the ASEAN Committee in Santiago, Professor Raul Thoms (middle), the USC Student Council President Juan Pablo De La Torre (4th from right), USC Biblioteca Director Paulina Pichihueche (3rd from right) and Consul Dennis Briones (rightmost) following the Expo Filipinas ribbon-cutting ceremony
Copies of the El Filibusterismo and the Noli Me Tangere are displayed behind protective glass and flanked by artificially aged printouts of Rizal’s poems.
USC students view samples of Filipino handicrafts and historical artifacts.
Hardbound copies of Philippine history and culinary books are displayed next to miniature versions of the Philippine Jeepney.
PTK-SMH Santiago performs live demonstration of Kali using real traditional Philippine swords and other weaponry.
USC students read about the colorful history of the baro’t saya alongside life-size and miniature samples of these traditional Filipino clothing.
(Santiago, 27 August 2018) – In celebration of National Heroes Day, the Philippine Embassy in Chile launched Expo Filipinas at the Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USC) with a centerpiece on Dr. Jose Rizal’s personal history and renowned literary works. In attendance were members of the diplomatic corps, the USC’s leadership, faculty members, special guests, student council officers, and students from various courses.
Expo Filipinas was launched at the USC Biblioteca in collaboration with Professor Raul Thoms, a fulltime mathematics teacher who has dedicated time to research and promote Rizal’s legacy to the USC student body. Biblioteca Director Paulina Pichihueche and USC Student Council President Juan Pablo De La Torre also provided invaluable support in organizing the event.
The centerpiece exhibit featured copies of the El Filibusterismo and the Noli Me Tangere, as well as Rizal’s poems, specifically the Mi Ultimo Adios, A La Juventud Filipina, and Himno al Trabajo. It also featured samples of traditional Filipino products, hardbound books on Philippine history and cuisine, and photos of the country’s best touristic destinations under catchphrase “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.”
In his speech to a hundred members of the university’s academe and students, Philippine Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., Marcos A.S. Punsalang highlighted Rizal’s extraordinary abilities—including being a polymath with the ability to master various skills and subjects and a polyglot of 22 languages. CDA Punsalang also underscored Rizal’s passion for poetry and creative writing, and his varying degrees of expertise in architecture, cartography, economics, ethnology, anthropology, sociology, dramatics, martial arts, fencing and pistol shooting.
More importantly for the Chilean and other foreign students in attendance, CDA Punsalang explained how Rizal saw education as a solution to achieving real social change and liberation while expressing hope in the youth as the future of the country.
The opening ceremony also showcased DOT tourism videos to encourage attendees to visit the Philippines, as well as a live demonstration of Kali (Filipino martials arts) by the group PTK-SMH Santiago. Cocktails and Filipino desserts—sapin-sapin and cassava cake—were served following the successful event.
Expo Filipinas will be open to the public until 10 September 2018. The Philippine Embassy is planning more joint projects with the Universidad de Santiago de Chile, including one with the collective participation of the ASEAN Committee in Santiago (ACS), composed of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. END
