Milan – Sunday, 19 June 2011, the Filipino Community, led by the Philippine Consulate General in Milan, held an outdoor exhibit and a film-showing on the life of Dr. Jose Rizal at the historical grounds of Porta Ticinese in central Milan in commemoration of Dr. Rizal’s 150th birth anniversary.
Posters depicting important events in the life of Dr. Jose Rizal were displayed on the old brick walls of Porta Ticinese. In addition to the posters, the Consulate also exhibited copies of the works of and books on Dr. Rizal, which form part of the personal collection of George Minestrini, an Italian admirer of Dr. Rizal. Among those exhibited were copies of the Noli Me Tangere in Dr. Rizal’s handwriting and Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas by Dr. Antonio de Morgas, with Dr. Rizal’s handwritten annotations. Also exhibited was a copy of Noli Me Tangere translated in Italian by Mr. Vasco Caini.
The exhibit was shortly followed by a film-showing of “Rizal,” a film produced in 1998 by GMA Films, at the adjacent Teatro Colo
nne. The theatre was filled to its 160-seat capacity. Members of the audience, some of whom are second-generation Filipinos in Italy, were touched by the exhibit and film and expressed their appreciation for Dr. Rizal’s sacrifices for the Philippines. (by: ZITA BARON)
