As part of its commemoration of the 123rd anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal’s martyrdom, the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah launched e-Sentro Rizal, a virtual resource of Filipiniana references that aims to boost the promotion of Filipino culture and arts in digital form.
The project is made in collaboration with the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), which provided the database for the Filipiniana collection.
The portable, multi-lingual collection of selected Filipiniana references in DVD format were culled from the library collection of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts with additional materials sourced from contributing producers and publishers.
The virtual nature of the collection allows cultural dissemination beyond borders and was specifically designed to appeal to the tech-savvy generation. It is part of the Consulate’s attempt to introduce the Philippines via distance learning.
The facility has translations of the texts in Filipino, Ilocano, Sebwano, Bicolano, Mëranaw, and Spanish, and provides a tool for culture educators. The project also promotes the use of the Filipino language and the development of the Mother Tongue-Based Multi-Lingual Education program.
During the launch, Consul General Ed Badajos said that e-Sentro Rizal will cater to young Filipinos who want to have a deeper understanding of their history and cultural heritage.
“To maximize learning and appreciation of Filipino culture, arts, and history, we have to use a medium that the curious young and technology-savvy Filipino expatriates in the Kingdom are most comfortable with—the computer,” Consul General Badajos added.
