Read this in The Manila Times digital edition.
(From left) Military Host, Captain Junjie Tabuada, PN (MNSA); Chief Administrative Officer of the National Parks Development Committee, Reina Jara;
Deputy Head of Mission, Dalibor Mička; OIC Executive Director of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, Carminda Arevalo; and Chief,
Historic Sites and Education Division of the NHCP, Gina Batuhan.
The Czech–Philippine relations, while formally established in 1973 through the creation of embassies in their respective capitals, go a long way back. The people-to-people ties between the two nation-states have been flourishing since then and serve as one of the foundations of today's bilateral ties. The best historical evidence of this age-old connection is the formidable friendship of Czech Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt and Philippine National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.
Professor Blumentritt was born in Prague on September 10, 1853 which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was a master teacher in Litomêrice when he and Rizal started their correspondence. Bounded by their mutual enthusiasm and interest in the Philippines, Blumentritt and Rizal's friendship developed into like that of brothers. He served as a confidant to Rizal and they have collaborated on some works including Rizal's annotations of Morga's Sucesos where Blumentritt wrote a prologue.