Rizal Shrine Complex in Casat, Nueva Vizcaya (Bayombong)

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Nestled on a hill in Barangay Casat in this town, the 7.3-hectare shrine and multipurpose complex to be formally opened to the public on July 4, contains a 12-story high structure in Romanesque design housing a 16-meter bronze statue of Rizal.
The shrine, a brainchild of Jordanian-born Mahmoud Asfour, now a naturalized Filipino citizen, also features smaller bronze busts of other Filipino heroes, including one for the “unsung” and unknown heroes.
Expected to grace the inauguration, aside from provincial officials and officers of the Knights of Rizal, of which Asfour is a third-degree commander for Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino and Isabela, are Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile who hails from Cagayan Valley, and Ambeth Ocampo, chairman of the National Historical Institute.
A retired bank official in the Middle East and a known philanthropist here, Asfour, whose wife hails from this province, said the Rizal shrine is possibly his “greatest gift to the Filipino people” and is what he envisioned to be a “symbol of Filipino unity and hope.”
“It’s all sheer love and respect for the Filipino people that I dedicate this shrine honoring the bravery of Dr. Jose Rizal and other heroes of the country,” he said.
The shrine’s entrance is highlighted by a 10-meter obelisk or pole on which the history of Nueva Vizcaya is written.
This leads to the shrine’s main structure that contains the Rizal statue and other busts of heroes, surrounded by 14 seven-foot arches.
In the long term, the complex, about three kilometers from the national highway or from the downtown area, will also serve as a major venue for livelihood training, sport activities and recreation.
A mini-hospital, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, will also rise in the complex.
Asked how much he has spent on the project, Asfour said the cost is not important to him, but the need to contribute not only to the Filipinos but also to the world.
“I’m just doing this to give recognition to Filipinos and as a gift to mankind,” he said.
Asfour’s fondness for Filipinos grew some 30 years ago after a Filipino truck driver saved him from near-death when his car bogged down in the desert.
“There were many vehicles that passed by but only one had the heart to stop and help and even bring me to the nearest hospital where I regained my consciousness,” he said.
Asfour said the truck driver had died before he learned that he hailed from Pangasinan.
“We highly appreciate this incredible donation. It has been a splendid site even in its then unfinished condition and will be even more splendid now in its completed state,” said Vice Gov. Jose Gambito, who, together with Gov. Luisa Lloren-Cuaresma and Rep. Carlos Padilla, is expected to lead the provincial delegation in the inauguration.
For her part, Cuaresma said, “Once again, an astounding effort by a fellow Tribu Viscayano in creating what is possibly the world’s biggest Rizal shrine will place the province in the limelight and maybe earn it a place in history.”