To ( names of VIP present), staffs, guests, and friends a pleasant
morning to each and everyone and happy 116
th independence day. I am grateful that I was given the chance to speak before you today, as this day is one of the remarkable and memorable days for our homeland and for every Filipinos. We are gathered today to commemorate the anniversary of Emilio Aguinaldo's declaration of independence of our country from Spain in 1898 and the recognition of the relinquishment of American sovereignty over the Philippine Islands. Indeed, independence day is not just an ordinary day but a day which is worth to celebrate by just watching the hoisting of our flag, singing of our national anthem with passion and enthusiasm , by remembering the heroic deeds and by expressing our gratitude to our numerous fearless heroes who fought and sacrificed a lot to attain our freedom against foreign colonialism. The generation of today must be thankful from Rizal, Bonifacio, Mabini to local patriotic leaders who sacrificed their lives just for our countrys independence. We must not allow to forget those hardships and struggles but instead we must continue to make our country strong and independent from any foreign influence. We cannot deny the fact that they became the channel for us to gain opportunity to positively enjoy life free from any restraints and positively interact internationally which really helps our country to be more advanced and productive. Certainly, John F. Kennedy was correct in saying that The best road to progress is freedoms road. Correspondingly, Filipino people maintained and still upholding what our great leaders wanted for our homeland, we must be very proud thereof. Currently, the 116 th Philippines independence days celebration theme, is Kalayaan Bunga ng Kagitingan, Kadakilaan at Karangalan so what is the rationale of this theme?? It simply states that we are freed from repression, domination and colonialism because Filipino people by nature are fearless, dignified , united and reputable individuals. We are known for these characteristics and everyone in the world admires our capacity to persevere and triumph over adversities, despite the fact that our country is facing a lot of challenges, we still manage to recover and our government and its instrumentalities are trying hard to pursue advancement to strengthen more our nation. In fact, our country remains in force in maintaining our claims against China with respect to the dispute regarding the Scarborough Shoal, we are unmoved by the numerous gigantic vessels owned by the China, and now surrounding the said island , we did not show any apprehension despite such enormous force because we know for a fact that those are merely tactics for their sham declarations that they have jurisdiction over it and when our country remained solid and united when it was hit by strong typhoons which brought massive destructions and terrifying experiences for Filipino people. We never fail to extend help to those who were greatly affected. Indeed, solidarity and camaraderie among Filipinos are fervent and great and in addition, despite of terrorist threats and attacks, our Police and Military force remain intact and reliable in ensuring the safety of Filipino people. Indeed, to sum up, our country is made of courageous and principled people who will do everything just to uphold and preserve its territory and jurisdiction and will never let anyone to ruin and damage what we have conserved for how many years. I believe that Philippines is a country with great people and resources, it still has lots to offer to the world , hence we must continue the unity and cooperation among us because definitely it will lead to a more success life. Once again good morning and thank you, may you have a meaningful independence day. Mabuhay tayong lahat.