MANILA - President Benigno Aquino III Sunday urged Filipinos to “further deepen the spirit of patriotism in each of us,” saying that the Philippines is a nation of heroes.
“I believe that the blood flowing in every Filipino is that of a patriot: We are a nation of heroes,” the President said in a speech he delivered in Filipino to mark National Heroes’ Day.
Mr. Aquino gave the speech at Fort Bonifacio’s Libingan ng mga Bayani amid the crisis following the Aug. 23 hostage tragedy that saw the killing of eight Hong Kong tourists by a dismissed policeman.
The botched hostage rescue has caused diplomatic tension not only between Manila and Hong Kong but also between Manila and Beijing. The people of the Chinese territory have expressed disgust over the way the Aquino administration handled the hostage situation.
In his speech, the President honored the country’s national heroes who fought the occupation by Spain and Japan.
He also honored his father—Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., who was assassinated upon his return home on Aug. 23, 1983, to oppose the Marcos dictatorship.
The President urged people to become heroes of today “without wielding a gun or a spear” and spilling blood as in the past.
What the times call, he said, was for people to render “cooperation and selfless service to our fellowmen without expecting anything in return.”
“In fact, becoming a good and responsible citizen is heroic enough,” he said.
He lamented though that some people chose not to regard the “greatness of our past” and were “consumed by selfishness and egotism” and remain shackled to a culture of indifference and finger-pointing.”
Mr. Aquino said this kind of attitude was the “very root of corruption and theft, for it puts their personal interests ahead of the well-being of the majority” and thus was “the biggest obstacle in our path towards change.”
National Heroes’ Day is celebrated officially on the last Sunday of August or Sunday, but because of the holiday economics, Filipinos will get to enjoy the holiday on Monday.
National Historical Commission Chair Ambeth Ocampo said historians played it safe when they decided to declare National Heroes’ Day, which commemorates the “beginning of the Philippine Revolution against Spain” on the last day of August.
Speaking at Libingan ng mga Bayani, Ocampo said the then National Historical Institute had declared officially Pugad Lawin as the site of the beginning of the Philippine Revolution against Spain in 1896.
Ocampo said the Cry of Pugad Lawin was followed by the battle in San Juan, now known as Pinaglabanan.
Historians have questioned the place where the first cry that started the revolution happened, he said. He cited six possible sites—Pinaglabanan, Balintawak, Bahay Toro, Pasong Tamo, Pakpak Lawin, Banlas and even Pugad Baboy.
On Monday, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. will join fellow Bulakeños in commemorating the 160th birth anniversary of Marcelo H. del Pilar, the father of Philippine journalism, at the hero’s shrine in Bulakan, Bulacan.
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