President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday challenged Filipinos to strive to remove the “unfreedoms” that stand in the way of human development as the country marked the 125th anniversary of its independence from Spain.
In a speech delivered during the Independence Day ceremony held at the Quirino Grandstand on Monday, Marcos said that the Filipinos still face many challenges that they must address despite the Philippines’ significant progress since it gained its independence in 1898.
In particular, he admitted that there are still “manifold unfreedoms prevailing in the society that stand in the way of human development.”
“These are the corrosive political and social conditions that make the nation not as free as we would like to profess and to believe, such as poverty, inadequate economic opportunities, disabling rather than enabling living conditions, inequality and apathy,” Marcos said in his speech.
Marcos cited poverty, inequality, and apathy as some of the “unfreedoms” that must be addressed. He said that the government would work to address these challenges through wise policies and by fostering a more conducive environment for development.
“We must strive to remove the unfreedoms that prevent us from achieving our full potential,” Marcos said.
Free and fulfilling life
“We will not rest until every Filipino has the opportunity to live a free and fulfilling life,” he added.
Marcos also called on Filipinos to unite and work together to achieve the country’s goals.
He also assured the government would be with its people on the long and uphill road to achieve the dream of freedom, freedom from hunger, neglect and fear.
“We cannot free ourselves unless we move forward united in a single desire,” he said. “This is our single desire: to be genuinely free by achieving full development as a single, united, and indivisible Filipino nation.”
Marcos concluded his speech by renewing the pledge made by the country’s ancestors to support a free and independent republic.
“We owe this to our national heroes who had wanted for us the freedom that we now enjoy,” he said.
“We owe this to the next generations of Filipinos to whom we swear to be a stronger and genuinely free republic,” he added.
Joining the nation in commemorating the event, Vice President Sara Duterte thanked modern-day heroes who fight for the country’s freedom from terrorism, criminality, corruption and local communism.
“Let us also take this time to thank the heroes of today who continue to fight for our freedom from terrorism, criminality, corruption, and local communism, and who, to this day, remained unwavering in securing the gains of our development across public health, economy, peace and order, and governance,” Duterte said in her message.
“Let our cherished freedoms and liberties lead us to a more just society upholding the greater good of our kababayan,” the Vice President added.
Duterte also said that the painstaking years of martyrdom left us with a strong legacy of patriotism and love of country in leading the way towards the triumph of the Filipino amidst the challenges of nation-building.
“This is our inspiration for continuing our present quests for inclusive development that will carry our people out of the chains of poverty, insurgency, drug addiction, and other threats to our national security,” she said.
Assert your liberties
In a separate Independence Day message, Marcos challenged the Filipinos to assert their liberties as there are still battles that the eyes cannot see.
He explained that the Filipinos hold the glorious heroism and nobility that their ancestors have demonstrated throughout the country’s long and storied history.
“I challenge each of us: On the 125th year since the declaration of our freedom, let us assert our liberty day by day. In everything we do, let us pursue excellence and integrity with the knowledge that we are living out the visions our predecessors held on to and the comfort they toiled for,” Marcos said.
“Later, with new oppressors and challenges, our people remained defiant-affirming that it is in our core to defend what is ours. And with all that, this occasion symbolizes and entails, we understand better now that liberty will not flourish on its own; freedom will not materialize unless it is declared boldly, believed sincerely, and demonstrated passionately,” he added.
Marcos then urged Filipinos to take ownership of the fight that gave birth to the independence of “our noble and indomitable republic.”
Light rains covered Marcos’ first Independence Day celebration as Philippine President, where government leaders and World War II veterans joined him in Luneta and the adjoining Quirino Grandstand.
Amid the inclement weather, Marcos pushed through with the wreath-laying and flag-raising ceremonies at the Rizal National Monument.