DAPITAN CITY (PIA) – The young minds of Dapitan City Central School (DCCS) were reminded of the rich cultural and historical roots that took place within this very city during the first ever Rizal Youth Lecture Series as the culminating activity of the city’s Handuraw Festival.
An event organized by the youth for the youth, the first lecture series saw around 400 students unlock a different side of Dr. Jose Rizal we have all come to know through our textbooks.
While the event was primarily focused on remembering and celebrating the life and works of Rizal, especially those which took place in Dapitan City, students were also reminded of the humanity behind the hero – the one that walked the same streets as them, the one who lived the same lives, enjoyed the same views, briefly, just another Dapitanon enjoying and making the most of what the city had to offer.
Hitomi Uyehara Hamoy, a young heritage advocate and an alumna of the Special Science Elementary School of Dapitan City Central School (SSES-DCCS) who also happens to be the great great granddaughter of Don Mariano Balsomo Hamoy discussed the Untold Stories of Rizal in Dapitan featuring his loving and loyal friendship with her great great grandfather.
“Beyond loyalty, their friendship was also deeply rooted in a shared love for the Philippines. Both men envisioned a free and just nation, and Don Mariano was an active supporter of the reforms Rizal championed,” Hitomi said.
“Their relationship was not just a companionship but a partnership bound by common values and a mutual dream of a better future for the Philippines,” she added.
Meanwhile, second lecturer, Kino Andrew Mamigo, 5th Placer in the National Rizal Youth Leadership Institute’s Rizal Youth Quiz Bee imparted to the young students trivia and fun facts about the national hero.
During the event, the participants got to test their new-found knowledge with their own trivia competition about the life and works of Rizal which they eagerly participated in.
Both lecturers are DCCS Alumnae currently studying in Jose Rizal Memorial State University for their seventh and tenth grade, respectively.
The event was made possible through the City’s partnership with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, Knights of Rizal, and Las Damas de Rizal Philippines Dapitan City Chapter. (EDT/PJF/PIA9-Zamboanga del Norte)
