On Independence Day, top officials dream of freedom from social ills
MANILA, Philippines — Top officials of the country in their Independence Day messages sought to address various social ills that keep Filipinos from truly being free, which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said “stand in the way of human development.”
In his speech at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, Marcos said the Philippines is “not as free as we would like to profess and to believe” as poverty, inadequate economic opportunities, disabling living conditions, inequality and apathy still reign.
But he assured that the government will work to remove these chains still bounding Filipinos.
“We will strive to remove the unfreedoms. We will aim to feed the hungry, free the bound, and banish poverty,” Marcos said. “Through wise policies, we will foster a highly conducive and enabling environment in which the exercise of true human compassion shall allow for the full development of the Filipino.”
In her Independence Day message, Vice President Sara Duterte also took aim at “the chains of poverty, insurgency, drug addiction, and other threats to our national security.”
“Let us rally behind our education sector to enable our children and youth to break free from the dangers of armed struggle so that they can realize their full potential and serve as agents of positive change in society,” said Duterte, who is also vice-chairperson of the controversial anti-communist task force that her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, created.
The younger Duterte also thanked the heroes who “continue to fight for our freedom from terrorism, criminality, corruption, and local communism” and who “remained unwavering in securing the gains of our development across public health, economy, peace and order, and governance.”
Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo said in his speech at Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan said freedom and its benefits must be shared and protected by all.
“This power should be used to watch out for their freedom in the broader and deeper sense of it — freedom not just from invaders, but also from hunger, poverty, fear and lack of justice,” Gesmundo said in Filipino.
He added that if freedoms are only reserved for a few, the country’s independence would be senseless and unfulfilled.
In a short video message, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri assured that the upper chamber will uphold and watch out for the freedom of the country and of every Filipino, particularly the freedom to become a full-fledged and peaceful democracy and the freedom from hunger and poverty.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez echoed his cousin Marcos’ in his speech at Bonifacio Shrine in Manila, saying that there is no true freedom until there are still Filipinos who are experiencing poverty in the country.
“This battle for freedom is not just a revolution against invaders,” Romualdez said in Filipino. “This is also a battle to end hunger. A battle to experience a better life. A battle to ensure a better future.” — Xave Gregorio
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