The ties between the Philippines and Spain was solidified anew following the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Spain at the Jose Rizal Monument, Avenida de las Islas Filipinas in Madrid, Spain.
The event — which was attended by Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go — was organized by the Embassy of the Philippines in Madrid in coordination with the Ayuntamiento de Madrid and the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
Go was tasked by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri to represent the Philippine Senate on the said occasion.
The lawmaker stressed that the unveiling of the marker is a "fitting tribute to the rich history shared by both countries" as well as to Filipino hero Dr. Jose Rizal whose beliefs and advocacies, according to the senator, "continue to inspire a nation even after more than 100 years since he died."
Go said that the Philippines and Spain have a long history of shared heritage, culture and history.
"Spain opened an entirely new world to be explored, facilitating exchange of ideas and culture between the old and the new," Go said. "Specifically, Rizal, in which this marker we unveil beside his monument today, learned so much here in Spain and imported many good ideas and practices to the Philippines for the betterment of our people."
Formal diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Spain were established on 27 September 1947.
In February 2022, former secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. and Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Bueno reaffirmed their commitment to continue working together in the bilateral and multilateral platforms as they met during the sidelines of the Ministerial Forum for Cooperation on the Indo-Pacific held in Paris, France.
As the chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Go said that he draws inspiration from heroes like Rizal who fought for the lives and liberties of their countrymen in order to provide them a better future. In this regard, the senator continues to bring essential medical and healthcare services closer to the people, particularly Filipinos with most needs.
"Rizal also saw the importance of earning education and gaining new ideas and brought them back to the Philippines to help his fellow Filipinos," Go said. "Now, as our modern world continues to confront new challenges and emerging threats to the health and safety of our people, we must not stop learning from others and use them for the benefit of our own people."
In his own capacity as a senator, Go also reaffirmed his commitment to continue furthering the shared advocacies for the betterment of both countries.
"After all, we have a lot of mutual interests in the fields of defense, economic and development cooperation, and cultural exchange, among others," said the senator as he also expressed gratitude to the Spanish government for providing the Philippines with 453,600 doses of the Moderna vaccine in December 2021 at the height of the pandemic which greatly helped in ensuring the success of the country's vaccination program.