NEWSFLASH

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SPANISH KING, QUEEN AT CENTENNIAL RITES

Cebu City, Feb. 12, 1998 - King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain are expected to arrive tomorrow for a 3-day centennial royal visit, in response to President Ramos' invitation for the king of the country that ruled the Philippines for more than three hundred years to participate in the commemoration of the centennial of Philippine independence.

They will tour Cebu, lay a wreath at the statue of Legazpi in Cebu, inaugurate the Colonial Plaza in Clark, lay a wreath at the monument of Rizal who was executed by Spain, and accept an Order of the Grand Cross of the Knights of Rizal.

During centennial activities at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Spanish king will confer on President Ramos the Collar and Sash of the Order of Carlos III, a decoration bestowed exclusively on heads of state on very significant occasions.

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