MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday, June 12, spoke of the need for Filipinos to “assert our liberty day by day” amid an “age where battles remain but occur in places the eyes cannot see.”

The President was scheduled to lead the flag-raising and wreath-laying at the Rizal Monument in Luneta Park at 8 am. His attendance there almost did not push through due to bad weather. Almost an hour before this event, organizers at Luneta asked guests to proceed to the Quirino Grandstand. Much later, past the 8 am schedule, guests at the grandstand hurriedly boarded Office of the President buses and were shuttled to the nearby Luneta Park. 

Marcos was joined by the First Family, his wife Liza Araneta-Marcos, and sons, House leader Ilocos Norte Representative Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, Simon Marcos, and Vincent Marcos.  

Marcos’ predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, only attended an Independence Day flag-raising event at Rizal Park in his last year in office. No grand parades were held at the Quirino Grandstand under Duterte. 

In his message ahead of Monday’s events, Marcos said June 12, the day in which the country commemorates the country’s declaration of independence from over three centuries of Spanish rule, “confirmed what our forebears have religiously kept in their hearts: That we are the inheritors of the glorious heroism and nobility that our ancestors have demonstrated throughout our long and storied history.”

In what seems to be a reference to his first State of the Nation Address, during which he spelled out a policy to be “very jealous of all that is Filipino,” Marcos said that given “new oppressors and challenges, our people remained defiant-affirming that it is in our core to defend what is ours.” 

“And with all that this occasion symbolizes and entails, we understand better now that liberty will not flourish on its own; freedom will not materialize unless it is declared boldly, believed sincerely, and demonstrated passionately,” added the President, whose father once ruled the country for over two decades, 14 years of which were under a dictatorship. 

“Now, in the age where battles remain but occur in places the eyes cannot see, it is more necessary to take to heart the immeasurable courage and loss that came out of our heroes. For this, I challenge each of us: On the 125th year since the declaration of our freedom, let us assert our liberty day by day,” said Marcos. 

The President is scheduled to host the diplomatic corps for a vin d’ honneur at Malacanang Palace later in the day. – Rappler.com 

LIST: Philippine Independence Day 2023 protests, activities