MANILA – A street in Madrid, Spain has been named after Dr. Jose Rizal.
Calle de Algabeño in Barrio de Hortaleza will soon be officially known as Calle de Jose Rizal.
It joins the Rizal monument as tourist destinations paying homage to the Philippines’ national hero who once lived in the Spanish capital.
“We welcome the renaming of a street in Madrid to Calle de Jose Rizal. It goes to show that Rizal’s heroic deeds for this country are recognized universally,” said Philippine ambassador to Spain Philippe J. Lhuillier.
This follows a city hall resolution which approved changing the names of certain streets, squares, and crossings, and replacing them with names suggested by the Commission on Historical Memory.
While the actual street signs have yet to be changed, the new names are now being used by the local government and in many business addresses.
“The renaming of a street in Madrid to Calle de Jose Rizal is not only an honor but also a show of respect and great admiration of the City of Madrid to our national hero,” said Florencio Aliganga, vice commander of the Knights of Rizal – La Solidaridad Chapter in Madrid.
“We Filipinos here in Spain would like to express our gratitude to the Spanish people for this great honor. This strengthens once again the ties that bind Spain and the Philippines.”
source: news.abs-cbn.com
