22 June 2010 – Philippine Ambassador to Seoul Luis T. Cruz reported that the Philippine Embassy in South Korea celebrated the 149th birthday of national hero Dr. Jose Rizal with an awarding ceremony for a Rizal-themed essay-writing contest and a film showing of the movie “Rizal sa Dapitan” with Filipino spouses of Korean nationals.

The activities were held on 19 June 2010, the date of Rizal’s birthday, at the Seoul City Hall Annex. The essay-writing contest, which adopted the theme of “Finding Jose Rizal in South Korea: A Migrant’s Perspective” for Filipino contestants, was conducted by the Philippine Embassy from February to April 2010 in cooperation with the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the association of Filipino professors in South Korea. The winners were Mr. Christian Romero; Mr. Alfonso Delgado (1st runner-up); and Mr. Inrico Orbe and Mr. Vicente Angel Ybiernas (tied for 2nd runner-up). The awarding ceremony also included the winners of the essay-writing contest for Korean students, themed “The Philippines in the Korean War.” The winners were Mr. Jaeho Kim; Ms. San Ha Lee (1st runner-up); and Ms. Na Kyu Moon (2nd runner-up). All the winners received certificates of excellence from the Philippine Embassy and a cash prize. The top winners also received a Presidential Medal for Academic Excellence and a roundtrip plane ticket courtesy of the Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific. The ceremony was followed by a film showing of the acclaimed “Rizal sa Dapitan.” The entire event was arranged by the United Pilipinas in Korea, an organization of Filipino spouses of Korean nationals recently formed with the help of the Philippine Embassy to promote programs specifically attuned to the needs of multicultural families. “Look at history as a living account of who we were and who we are now. This way, you can better share our tradition and values with your multicultural families.” Amb. Cruz told the audience. The event was co-organized by the Seoul Global Center.