AS the country on Monday commemorated National Heroes’ Day, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte called on Filipinos to never “squander” the lessons of the past and instead use them to “awaken” all the greatest heroes inside the hearts of every Filipino, especially the youth.
“Our history as a nation is marked by the blood of our forebears who selflessly offered their lives for the liberation of the Philippines and the Filipino people,” Duterte’s National Heroes’ Day message read.
As Filipinos honor the country’s national heroes, Duterte said they should not only look back with admiration “at their profound sense of patriotism but also look at the future of our country and its unrelenting longing for the same profound sense of patriotism from us.”
She added: “The blood of our National Heroes is the same blood of bravery, selflessness, and love of country and fellowmen that continues to flow across the nation today—now permeating into the minds and hearts of many Filipinos who have committed to the cause of rebuilding the nation from the rubbles caused by disunity, hatred, misunderstanding, and acts of hostilities perpetuated by anti-people, anti-government, and local terror groups that hostaged the progress of the country for a long time.”
She urged the public to honor the national heroes with a promise that their sacrifices will serve as the light and inspiration and that the Filipinos will vow to protect the integrity of the country’s independence and the interest of the nation against those who “wish for us to fail, to fall, and to break as a nation.”
“Patuloy nating mahalin ang Pilipinas [Let us continue to love the Philippines],” she said.
Image credits: Bernard Testa