In the morning of 30 December 2011, Consul General Adelio Angelito S. Cruz, together with the officers, staff of the Philippine Consulate General in Xiamen travelled to Jinjiang City to pay tribute to Philippine national hero Gat Jose Rizal. Consulate General personnel were accompanied by their dependents.

The delegation was met at the entrance of the Square by the officials of the Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Quanzhou Municipality (Quanzhou FOCAO) led by its Director General Mr. Huang Baiqing. Officials from Xintang Village and Jinjiang City as well as representatives from Qiongque Community were also present during the event.

The Consulate General and Chinese officials laid a wreath at the Rizal Monument, which stands inside the Rizal Square located within the People's Cultural Plaza in Qiongque Village, Luoshan Town in Jinjiang City, Fujian Province. This monument is very special since it stands in the hometown of Rizal's Chinese ancestor Ke Nan, also known as Domingo Lamco.

The monument, which was completed in December 2002, is a slightly larger replica of the one standing at the Luneta, now Rizal Park in Manila. It stands 18.61 meters high, representing the year of Dr. Rizal's birth, 1861. Like the original in Manila, the monument in Jinjiang City also features a bronze statue of the national hero as its centerpiece.

The wreath laying was followed by a media interview with Consul General Cruz who noted that Dr. Rizal's part-Chinese ancestry highlights the closeness of the blood and kinship ties between the Philippines and Southern Fujian, the natives of which comprise the majority of Filipino-Chinese. The Consul General also thanked the officials of Quanzhou and Jinjiang for their warm hospitality.

The ceremony spearheaded by Xiamen PCG was reported in the local media in the succeeding days.

Quanzhou and Jinjiang, located in the southern part of Fujian province, are well known as an important part of China's legacy of overseas migrants. Quanzhou was at one time a center of overseas trade and other exchanging activities between China and the rest of the ancient world. Quanzhou Port was also the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road. END.