08 March 2012 – The Philippine Embassy in Madrid reported a lecture on “The presence of Galicia in the Philippines” was delivered by former Instituto Cervantes in Manila Director, Mr. Jose R. Rodriguez, at the Casa Galicia in Madrid.
The lecture, which was organized by both Casa Galicia and the Board of Galicia, elaborated on the book co-written by Mr. Rodriguez with Mr. Lino Dizon entitled “Cruceiro Spanish Galicia at some Crossroads in Philippine History and Culture (1521-1898)” which discusses in detail the influence of Galicia in the Philippines.
In his lecture, Mr. Rodriguez noted historical figures from Galicia who left their mark on the Philippines such as Governor General Gomez Perez das Mariñas who ordered the construction of the walls of Intramuros and the Manila Cathedral, Jose Felipe Delpan who was considered as the dean of journalists in the Philippines in the nineteenth century, and the three Gallegos who were part of the thirty-three Spaniards known collectively as the “Ultimos de Filipinas” of the Siege of Baler.
In addition to Ambassador Carlos C. Salinas, other noted guests included the Secretary of the Real Academia Española Mr. Dario Villanueva and the Secretary-General of the Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española Mr. Humberto Lopez Morales.
Galicia is one of the seventeen (17) autonomous communities in Spain. It is composed of four (4) provinces – A Coruña, Lugo, Ourense, and Pontevedra – and is home to 2.79 million inhabitants.