The biggest Rizal Shrine outside of the Philippines was built to honor the national hero’s Chinese ancestry. Rizal is a descendant of Domingo Lamco, a Chinese immigrant who settled in Calamba after fleeing the political unrest in China. His family’s roots can be traced back to the Shang Guo village of Fujian. The shrine was completed in 2003, complete with a statue that stands at 18.61 feet to honor Rizal’s birth in 1861.
In commemoration of Dr. Jose Rizal’s 157th birth anniversary, Consul General to Xiamen Julius Caesar A. Flores led wreath-laying rites at the Rizal Memorial Shrine in Jinjiang City, Fujian Province, China on 06 July 2018: https://t.co/0DNTK4pGqE#HeritageDiplomacy#DFAinACTION pic.twitter.com/x5XJSXgvW9
— DFA Philippines (@DFAPHL) July 23, 2018