INTRODUCTION
Naririto tayo ngayon upang muling gunitain at bigyang parangal ang kabayanihan at kagitingan ng ating mga kawal na nagtanggol sa ating kalayaan.

Ang ala-ala ng Death March — na kung saan ang ating mga magigiting na mga sundalo ay dumanas ng hindi matawarang mga paghihirap mula sa mga dayuhan — ay mananatiling nakaukit sa ating mga puso at isipan at patuloy na magpapatingkad sa ating marubdob na pagmamahal sa ating inang bayan.

Dito sa burol na ito na tinigmak ng dugo ng ating mga bayaning sundalo ay muli nating pinatunayan sa buong mundo na ang Pilipino ay handang magbuwis ng buhay sa ngalan ng kalayaan.
REMEMBERING THE DEATH MARCH
The memory of the historical death march where thousands of our soldiers painstakingly marched from Bataan to Pampanga to Tarlac leaves all of us in awe and with great pride in our long history of courage and unwavering love of country.

That march took five days — but in the scorching sun, and without life’s barest necessities, it may as well have been eternity. Many fell on the road, from sheer exhaustion, from wounds, from thirst and hunger, from the hardships imposed on them by the conquering army. Others died in the concentration camp itself, under the most horrible conditions.

History tells us that in one day alone — on June 1, 1942 — a total of 383 prisoners died in camp. By July 25 of that same year, more than 15,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war (POWs) had died in captivity.

These are staggering figures that boggle the minds of those of us who have never had to suffer the privations of war and the horrors of imprisonment.

I salute all of you, valiant veterans who stand here today, for surviving those grueling war years. And my heart weeps for those who unselfishly sacrificed their lives so that we may stand here today among our children and grandchildren to enjoy the fruits of freedom.
WORKING FOR THE VETERANS’ WELFARE
While we fully realize that no amount of attention can equal the heroic deeds of our veterans, nevertheless, the Ramos administration has worked hard to show our people’s gratitude to our living freedom fighters.

On this occasion, I have the great pleasure to announce the approval of the release of p250 million from the savings and reserves of the Office of the President for the pensions of our World War II veterans under existing laws.

The increased pensions, the additional benefits, the housing projects, the new hospital wards, the extended medical and dental care, and the increased voluntary support from private organizations led by the Filipino War Veterans Foundation (FILVETS) are just proofs of how we care for them.

Also, only last April 6, I inaugurated a museum-library archives that shall serve as a monument to the enviable courage and heroism of our veterans and will serve as a constant reminder to us, to our children, and our children’s children — that ours is a proud race of freedom fighters.

Our joint efforts together with the highest US officials and the Fil-Am veterans themselves on both sides of the Pacific have moved the long-standing issue of equity several steps forward — the latest commitment being a new program announced by President Bill Clinton last April 10th during our meeting at the white house to fund the health and poverty problems of aging Filipino veterans of World War II.

I hope that the next set of leaders will continue and even improve on the policy of veterans empowerment which we intensified in this administration.
RISING FROM THE FALL
More than half a century has passed since the great last war — and we fervently pray that it, indeed, will be the last such catastrophic global conflict that humankind will know. Our land, notably Bataan, Corregidor, Pampanga and Tarlac — as we can see from this vantage point — has long been restored to health; the murderous exchange of artillery has long given way to the noises and bustle of people at work.

Bataan has risen from its fall and now we see the growth areas of Limay, Mariveles, Morong and Subic, among others.

Where devastation and death once reigned over the land, we now find peace, opportunity and hope for an even brighter future for the Filipino of the incoming century.

And even in our hearts, where the wounds of war and the pain of loss run deep, we have found it in ourselves to reconcile with our former foes — and to make peace with and among ourselves, enabling us to move on to new and more gainful endeavors.

But all the same — and precisely because of the better conditions we now enjoy — we must look back, and acknowledge once again our everlasting debt to those who gifted us with our freedom, and our opportunities.

The heroes of the Death March — as represented by the veterans who are here today — are worthy examples of the ideals of our revolutionary forefathers who fought a much earlier war — but nevertheless, for the same reason — to regain our freedom.
HEROES ALL
The soldiers and guerrillas who fought in World War II are as much heroes and patriots as those who fought our revolutionary war a century ago. They are cut from the same grain.

Let, therefore, the celebration of our centennial of independence this year 1998 be dedicated to all our men and women who fought for our freedom. We should honor them for the heritage of bravery and sacrifice that they have bequeathed to us.

Sa Araw ng Kagitingan na ito, at sa taong ito ng Sentenaryo ng ating Kalayaan, atin muling gunitain ang kabayanihan ng ating mga kabababayang lumaban para sa ating kalayaan. Ating ipagbunyi and kanilang magiting na pag-aalay ng buhay para sa ating bayan.

Gawin natin silang huwaran kahit sa mga pang-araw-araw nating gawain tungo sa lalong ika-uunlad ng ating bansa. Sa pamamagitan lamang nito natin mapapatunayan na tayo ay karapat-dapat sa kanilang ipinaglabang simulain.

A person becomes a hero by becoming larger than he thinks he is in the pursuit of a noble cause; and we, too, can become heroes by enlarging ourselves — not just as individuals but as a community of citizens with shared purposes and efforts.
NEW BATTLES TO BE FOUGHT
Today we are fighting new wars and different battles: against poverty, against disease, against ignorance and injustice, against environmental abuse. We have made significant advances against these modern-day enemies, and our economic recovery has been a victory we can be proud of.

But the war is far from finished, and many of the battles lie within ourselves — against the disunity, the selfishness, the vanity, the prejudice and the pessimism that have often put to waste our heroes’ noble examples and sacrifices.

Let us then take this opportunity — this day we devote to the memory of our heroes — to rededicate ourselves to their cause with the same fervor, the same courage, and the same willingness to struggle and endure together.

We should also be thankful that many of our freedom fighters — the veterans — are still with us not only to enjoy with us the fruits of their labors and sacrifices, but more so to continue providing the needed backbone to our growth momentum.

Many of them can be found in several government and private offices, in various non-governmental organizations, and in a number of activities that put to good use their wealth of experience.

As they have undergone the tests of past battles, the fortitude by which our veterans face the daily grind of life imparts an unfathomable feeling of dignity. They provide our youth with role models worthy of emulation.
CLOSING
To our veterans, let me express once again the gratitude of the whole nation for all your struggles and sacrifices that brought us to where we are now — a free and economically-viable nation all set to face the challenges of the next millennium.

Let me, therefore, take this opportunity to invite all freedom-loving Filipinos to actively support all activities relative to the observance of our centennial of independence.

Ito ay isang napakagandang pagkakataon upang muli nating patunayan sa buong mundo ang ating maigting na pagpapahalaga sa ating kalayaan at sa kadakilaan ng ating mga bayaning nag-alay ng buhay upang ang kalayaang ito ay manatiling nagniningas sa ating pambansang pamumuhay.

Mabuhay ang mga beterano!

Mabuhay ang Araw ng Kagitingan!

Mabuhay ang Sentenaryo ng ating Kalayaan!

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

Maraming salamat, magandang umaga at mabuhay tayong lahat!