The Philippines will never be subservient to any external force that directs the country's own destiny, even as many unfreedoms remain, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said on Independence Day.
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President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. leads the flag raising and wreath laying ceremonies for the 125th Philippine Independence Day at the Rizal Park in Manila on June 12, 2023. (Noel Pabalate)
Speaking during the celebration of the 125th Philippine Independence Day in Manila on Monday, June 12, Marcos paid tribute to the transformation the country has gone through 125 years since the declaration of independence.
This "profound and transformative" event in our history, he said, must be reflected upon by Filipinos as it has allowed the country to evolve into how it is today.
"The heroes of our liberation would be proud to know that we have thrown off the ominous yoke of domination. Never again to be subservient to any external force that directs or determines our destiny," Marcos said.
The President said the country has evolved into a "healthy and vibrant republic with a stable government supported by growing institutions and mechanisms."
He recognized that it remains "an unassailable, self-evident principle that sovereignty resides in our people," stressing that the government now is "peopled by men and women of laws" and has a legal framework firmly in place that can enforce public order and bring justice which operates within a judiciary designed as an independent and impartial tribunal.
Unfreedoms
While Marcos highlighted the hard-fought freedom attained by the country 125 years ago, he also acknowledged that many unfreedoms remain.
"But inspite of these evolutionary developments, which are the hallmarks of a free, independent, and democratic state, we still have a long daunting journey ahead to fulfill the dreams of our forefathers," he said.
"It is said that there are manifold unfreedoms prevailing in 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," he added.
The President said these are to be seen as "expanded notions of human freedom," stressing that "independence is not the end but merely the principle means to achieve full development of the Filipino."
"A hundred and 25 years on, we will view our nation's development as freedom with more focus and determination. We will strive to remove the unfreedoms, we will aim to feed the hungry, free the bound and vanish poverty. These are primordial, moral, and existential imperative that are laid upon your government," he said.
Citing the Philippine Development Plan, Marcos said the government will strive to achieve freedom from hunger, neglect, and fear.
Believing that everyone is involved in this collective pursuit of real freedoms, he called on the nation to support the free and independent republic.
"I have said it before, shall say it once more: I will be with you on that long and uphill road to achieve our dream of freedom. Freedom from hunger, freedom from neglect, freedom from fear. But as integral actors of our democracy, we are all involved in this collective pursuit of real freedoms. That duty rests with all of us," he said.
"We owe this to our national heroes who had wanted for us the freedom that we now enjoy. We owe this to the next generations of Filipinos to whom we swear to be a stronger and genuinely free republic," he added as he concluded his speech.
Marcos led the flag raising and wreath laying ceremonies at the Rizal Park on Monday morning. The ceremonies pushed through amid rains.