In a video message posted on Vice President Leni Robredo’s Facebook page, the Vice President of the Philippine called on Filipinos to “forge on, aware of all that we have had to go through as a unified nation.”
Robredo stated that even as ordinary citizens, there is so much that we can do. She encouraged Filipinos to “Be open and loving; help those in need.”
Victory is not achieved overnight
Apart from stating the importance of our Independence Day as a thread that binds us together. She also said that it reflects that victory is not achieved overnight, referring to the more than 300 years of Spanish rule over the Philippines.
“It is a thread that can never be broken— even now, it holds together Filipinos who dream of a better life, regardless of stature, wherever in the world they may be. It reminds us: Victory is not achieved overnight. It is comprised of many chapters of exhaustion and fear, of courage and greatness, of perseverance and combat. Any freedom that our ancestors might have achieved is but one step in the long path towards national fruition— a journey that we continue to tread until today,” said Robredo in her message.
Affirm what is right and true, and assert the truths of our history
She then urged Filipinos to “stand firm on a story that can never be changed, stolen, erased— a story that binds us according to a collective past, and allows us the strength to march towards a collective future” and wished everyone a meaningful Independence Day celebration.
“We are called to forge on, aware of all that we have had to go through as a unified nation. As ordinary citizens, there is much we can do. Be open and loving; help those in need. Affirm what is right and true, and assert the truths of our history. Find inspiration in one another, and from those who came before. Stand firm on a story that can never be changed, stolen, erased— a story that binds us according to a collective past, and allows us the strength to march towards a collective future,” reads her message.
Watch her full message below:
