World's tallest Rizal statue to rise in Nueva Vizcaya

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – It is a sight familiar to many people in the neighborhood of a village here in the foothills of the Cordillera.

In Casat village in this capital town, a naturalized Filipino of former Jordanian nationality is putting up what promises to be the world’s tallest statue of the country’s national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal at some 12 stories or around 50 feet tall.

Begun way back in 2004, the shrine is still relatively incomplete since only the base of the planned Rizal monument has been put up.

A project of Mahmoud Asfour, a former banker in Jordan who found his second home in this landlocked province through his Filipina wife, the shrine is intended to give honor to Rizal and other national heroes of the country.

In earlier interviews, Asfour, 57, who is a member of the Knights of Rizal, was quoted as saying that the said shrine was intended to be a symbol of the Filipinos’ unity and hope with the main structure dedicated to Rizal and smaller structures to other Philippine heroes.

On top of the 12-story high monument, where a glass globe is presently located, will be placed a gigantic bust of Rizal. This monument is located in the center of a huge complex on the hills of Casat village here that overlooks the surrounding towns of northern Nueva Vizcaya like Solano, Quezon, Bagabag and this town.

Now an adopted Novo Vizcayano, Asfour, known for his philanthropic activities here, said that the construction of the mammoth structure out of his own personal expense and attention is a manifestation of his love, respect and admiration of the country’s national hero.