INTRODUCTION
Today we gather together to pay tribute to our veterans — Filipinos, Americans, and those from other nations living and dead — and to express thanks to them for dedicating the best years of their lives in the service of the armed forces of their countries, especially during the war years.
INSPIRING, NEVER-TO-BE-FORGOTTEN DEEDS
The fortunate few who survived the war are still around to accept our special tribute. To them, we offer and dedicate these ceremonies. They will continue to inspire us with their valor and heroism, with their patriotism, and with their adherence to democracy and freedom. They will continue to be our models for as long as we, too, live by these same ideals and espouse these same beliefs. Indeed, they will always remain in our hearts.

Thousands of others lie here and in hallowed grounds such as this memorial cemetery, their graves marked or unmarked. For them too, we have set aside this day and we remember them with fondness, love and gratitude.

For in defending the free and democratic way of life, they offered their lives that we and their compatriots would inherit the gifts of their sacrifices. Their noble deeds are not buried with them and forgotten. Year after year, we offer our thanks and appreciation to them, as well as our undying remembrance.

Let the ceremonies we hold here and the words we speak here be our prayers in their behalf. May their hopes and dreams live on in the families and friends they left behind. And may they, in the afterlife, gain the divine reward for their services.
PRESERVING THE LEGACY OF PEACE
It behooves us, the living, to now preserve the legacies of peace, freedom, and democracy, and to let no one imperil them ever again. We all value and cherish peace, as did these revered veterans in their time.

We endeavor to work toward national progress and prosperity in an atmosphere of freedom and within the realm of democracy. For this reason, we hold constant peace dialogues with separatists and rebel groups in the hope that together, we can attain a common vision.

And we reach out to our neighbors in the community of nations in friendly embrace and in prayer for greater understanding, despite the differences in ideologies, beliefs, color, race and religion.

Our former enemies have become not only our friends, but our partners in various ventures for our country’s development. With them we have established mutual respect, support, cooperation and assistance.

With regard to our dear old friends, the Americans, as well as the other allies who shared the hardships and sacrifices of the war, our warm, brotherly relationship has stood the test of time.

We express our oneness with them in the continuing vigilance against all forms of aggression that might threaten our free way of life and the peace we have fought so hard to establish.

Together we learned the bitter lessons of war; together we are experiencing the blessings of peace and democracy; together we swear to nurture these blessings.
CLOSING
During this observance of Veterans Day — another shared experience in the post-war years — we stand with our friends once again, as we pledge to pursue and live for the same ideals that our veterans fought for, and if it need be, to die for them.

This is our commitment; this is our promise.

Good day and thank you all.