INTRODUCTION
Kasama ang isandaang Katipunero, inilunsad ni Andres Bonifacio sa Pugad-Lawin ang Himagsikan laban sa mga Kastila. Isang malakas na sigaw ang nagbadya ng pagkakaisa ng mga anak-pawis at pagsilang ng bayang Pilipino.

Isangdaang taon na ang nakalilipas nang unang pukawin ng mga Katipunero ang makabayang damdamin nating mga Pilipino. Subalit ang halimbawa na kanilang iniwan ay patuloy na nabubuhay hanggang ngayon.

Andres Bonifacio was also a warrior with a grand vision. He founded the Katipunan that spearheaded the armed struggle against Spain. At the same time, he was a libertarian who read and studied the great revolutionary ideas of his time. He was a man of the masses. He was the great plebeian.

In these times when we Filipinos are marking many centennials in our journey to nationhood, it is fitting that we gather here today — in Pugad Lawin (“Eagle’s Nest”) where it all began.

In the history of mankind, historians tell us, there are times when history and fate meet at a single time and in a single place to shape a turning point in the quest for freedom.

Pugad Lawin was such a place. And the cry that Andres Bonifacio and his fellow Katipuneros issued here was such a turning point in our people’s quest for freedom.

In tearing up their cedulas or tax certificates, our revolutionary forebears did not merely repudiate the claims of Spanish colonial power to their persons and their possessions. It was an act of a handful of brave men for all our people — or the 6.2 million Filipinos living then, and for the many generations of Filipinos who came after them.

The “Cry of Pugad Lawin” lighted the flames of the Philippine Revolution. And from that day onward, the story of our people would forever be rooted on Pugad Lawin and along our quest for nationhood — and never again would the history of these islands be the same.

Since that 23rd of August one hundred years ago, our people have struggled through many trials and crises — crises of revolution and reform, crises of war and peace, crises of democracy and dictatorship, and crises of decline and progress. And through each trial and crisis, our people have managed to overcome by looking to the revolutionary spirit that set us on the road to freedom and nationhood.
LIVING CONNECTIONS
Today, in the midst of our own travails, who among us cannot see the living connections between the struggle of a century ago to our present endeavors for peace and progress in our land?

A century ago, our heroic forebears tore up their cedulas to signify their resolve to fight the might of Spanish empire for our people’s right to be free and sovereign over this land. Today we strive to bind our people together under one flag, one constitution, one democracy, one republic.

A century ago, our heroes shattered the tranquility of colonial rule with a ringing cry for revolution. Today we who are their heirs strive to bring the healing hand of peace upon the conflicts in our land — especially in Mindanao where now we stand so close to forging a just, comprehensive and enduring peace.

A century ago, our heroes dreamed of a free Philippines yielding its full bounty of progress through the efforts of our people. Today we labor to redeem that revolutionary dream by bringing our country to full modernization and to a higher place of respect and dignity in the family of nations.

A century ago our heroes fought with boloes and antique muskets and shed their blood on hallowed battlefields. Now we fight the battles with computers and cellular phones in our classrooms, work places, laboratories and markets.
THE NEED FOR UNITY AND RESOLVE
These goals before us can only be achieved through a united effort by all sectors of our society. We have shown the world our capacity to make change and progress. We have turned our country around from decades of decline and turmoil into a time of national transformation and sustainable development.

Today, a new breed of Filipinos is giving Bonifacio the recognition that he richly deserves and so with other heroes.

With their same sense of unity and resolve, we can complete the goals of our national revolution and establish a truly free, just, peaceful and prosperous society in our land — during this dawning of the 21st century and beyond. It behooves upon us now to reinforce our political independence with economic progress resting on the solid foundation of national unity and teamwork.

Kung sama-sama tayo, lahat ng mga hinahangad natin ay ating makakamit. This was the stirring message to our people of the “Cry of Pugad Lawin”, in that dark time when the nation was but an embryo in the womb of colonial empire.

And it is the same message we hear now in this new upbeat time of modernizing in our country — when, with independence secure and our house in order, we can make a bountiful future for all our people.

My fellow countrymen and countrywomen:

It is not just because of patriotic sentiment that, in this remembrance of Pugad Lawin, we feel a great sense of energy and optimism today. I fervently believe that our best days are still ahead of us. And we can make them happen because we are now more capable and more competitive in the world!

Sama-sama nating tamasain ang kalayaan na siyang ipinaglaban ng ating mga bayani, at gamitin ito upang mapa-unlad ang ating bagong Pilipinas.

Sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay-buhay sa kanilang mithiing sambayanang Pilipinong nagkakaisa sa pagiging maka-Diyos, makabayan, makatao at maka-kalikasan, patunayan natin ito! Mula sa liwanag ng kanilang alaala, tahakin natin ang landas tungo sa kinabukasan na taglay ang tapang at pagmamahal sa bayan na kanilang magiting at walang pasubaling ipinamalas.

In the solemnity of this occasion — keenly aware of the tasks laid upon our hands by our people, by our heroes, and by our constitution — let us seize this chance to give flesh and realization to our national beliefs and aspirations.

On this the dawning of our centennial of Philippine independence, if there is one paramount achievement to which we Filipinos must dedicate ourselves, it is this — that, by 1998, we show and prove to the world that we are finally a nation united. Sa madaling salita: sa taong Isang Libo Siyam na Raan at Siyamnapu’t-Walo (1998), taas-noo ang Pilipino na haharap sa buong mundo!

Mabuhay ang diwa ng Sigaw ng Pugad Lawin!

Mabuhay ang Pilipino!

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!