Rizal Park and Rizal's Last Farewell

Rizal Park which also called Bagumbayan (New Town) and later known as Luneta (lunette - small moon shape) Park is one of the historical places in the Philippines. It is an urban park located at the northern part of Roxas Boulevard, overlooking Manila Bay. This park holds some of the most significant  moments in Philippines history. One is the execution of Dr. Jose Rizal by Spanish military firing sqaud  at dawn on December 20, 1896 that made him our National Hero hence, named the park after him.

On the eve of his execution, he wrote his famous poem, My Last Farewell or "Mi Ultimo Adios" in Spanish. According to what I heard from our tour guide in Fort Santiago, Dr. Jose Rizal wanted to give that poem to his mother but the Spanish soldiers didn't allow his mother to even see him. It was on the declaration of the Philippine Independence that Dr. Jose Rizal was officially honored (as you can read in the photo above).