We join the nation in commemorating the 117h Anniversary of Philippine Independence. Today around 4:00 PM in Kawit, Cavite in 1898 the Filipino flag flew for the first time to herald the birth of a nation, the culmination of the struggle that started at Pugad Lawin on August 23, 1896, where Andres Bonifacio and the katipuneros sow the seeds of revolution against the Spanish conquistadores.
Rizal's exile to Dapitan was the turning point that shifted the struggle for reforms to an armed insurrection for separation from Spain. It was the final straw for a depraved people wanting change, who were made stronger by desperation, and whose only hope was an armed uprising to break the chains of subservience to an alien power. The rich tradition of struggle against colonial oppression was the motive force as well as the unifying theme of Philippine history.
Culture is the building blocks of is history profoundly influenced by geo-political divisions being an archipelago of 7,107 islands. However, despite our cultural diversity, which gave rise to our clannish attitude, we were united against colonial Spain as well as the subsequent American and Japanese invaders. From Mactan to Balintawak to Tirad Pass, from Corregidor to Bataan to Besang Pass we fought as one nation and one people because our forefathers believed that there is no greater glory than to be free.
The fabric of our independence is drenched with the blood of our heroes whose struggle for freedom invented a people - from indios to Filipinos - and from a non-descript group of islands to a Nation. It was not borne out of spontaneous anger and desperation, due to injustice and grave abuse of power against a superior enemy, but was anchored on a vision of greatness for the Filipino people.
As public servants, Independence Day is a time to confront the challenges up ahead. We are like seeds and the people are like the soil. Wherever we go, we must unite with the people; take root and blossom among them. Let's renew our commitment for better service and dedicate to them our labors in the quest for a better life. Let integrity, honesty and conscience be our guiding light for we are greater than our shortcomings and weaknesses.
As a people we blamed the colonialists and the imperialists for our miseries in the past, today we have no one else to blame but us. If our heroes did their part in their own time, now is our time to make freedom work for our great nation. And if we were united in times of war we should also be united in times of peace to accomplish the unfinished task of nation building for progress and prosperity, in the long run, for good.
After 117 years of independence amid the country's tumultuous history, the lackadaisical attitude of our people, the persistent yawning gap between the rich and the poor, and allegations of corruption in higher echelons of government; it is easy to realize that we can do better than this. Let's have the courage and political will to start a new beginning. The future is in our hands.