President Duterte said Filipinos should remember Philippine culture and history as honoring historical figures will encourage the people to honor modern-day heroes.
Duterte said this during the 501st anniversary of the Victory at Mactan and the closing of the 2021 Quincentennial Commemoration in the Philippines at the Liberty Shrine in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.
In his speech, Duterte hoped that the efforts to memorialize Lapulapu would lead Filipinos to appreciate the nation’s heroes of today.
"Even in the smallest of ways, we can show our love for our country and our fellow Filipinos," he said on April 27.
The President emphasized the need for Filipinos to remember the country’s "long and rich history correctly" regardless of the current circumstances or whether it happened a long time ago.
For example, the government’s efforts to memorialize Lapulapu’s heroism allow the nation to "preserve the roots" of Filipino culture, he explained.
"Although the Philippines was under foreign occupation for more than three centuries, we are fortunate enough to preserve the roots of our culture in the legendary figure of Lapulapu, as documented by our very colonizers," Duterte said.
The President praised Lapulapu’s strong leadership, saying the victory led by the Philippine hero in Mactan signifies Filipinos’ "bravery and determination to protect Philippine sovereignty against foreign forces."
"It is only fitting that he will be immortalized with a new monument and museum at the Lapulapu Shrine. It is my hope that its construction shall proceed at the soonest possible time," he noted.