Speech
of
His Excellency Fidel V. Ramos
President of the Philippines
At the commemoration of Araw ng Kagitingan with the veterans of Mount Samat

[Delivered in Bataan, April 11, 1993]

Easter and heroism

IT IS FITTING that this occasion of thanksgiving to our heroes, the veterans of Bataan and Corregidor, is held under the structure of a cross. For right beneath our feet is the earth once drenched with the blood of thousands of Filipinos, and Americans and Japanese soldiers as well, who made that supreme sacrifice for their beloved homelands. It is fitting that for the first time since the Fall of Bataan, this day of heroes is also observed on the same day as Easter Sunday, our day of salvation. Upon the cross was crucified Jesus Christ, the son of God who gave up his life that mankind might be saved, but who on glorious Easter morning rose again from the dead.

Conquest of death

We commemorate at Easter one of the two central events of the Christian faith, and the most enduring symbol of human renewal and hope. For the spirit of Easter speaks of the ultimate triumph of good over evil, of light over darkness, of truth over deceit. At Easter we celebrate Christ’s conquest of man’s worst fear—death.

That Christ overcame death and conquered it assures us that there is no condition of human suffering and deprivation that is outside the reach of God’s power. Death loses its sting; it is no longer man’s ultimate destiny. For Christ gave us the ultimate assurance that if we follow his path, we too will rise and live a glorious life forever. At Easter we are assured of the reality of this divine promise. And we are also urged and emboldened to receive and to take up the opportunity for a new beginning and a new life.

This towering cross at Mount Samat is the shining monument to the courage of Filipinos who defended freedom and democracy on Bataan and Corregidor. Bataan and Corregidor mark the contribution of the Filipino to peace and world brotherhood.

To recall to ourselves the valor and heroism of our forebears is not to waste ourselves in idle homage. It is to renew in ourselves the resolve to improve and rebuild that has characterized our people.

Today we remember the valiant Filipino soldiers who defended our native land. We remember those who fought for the ideals of justice and democracy—and paid the price with their youth, their dreams and their lives.

The new battlefield

We pay tribute to their courage, which saw us through our darkest hours, and during those times when hope was at its lowest. Because of them, the cause of freedom was strengthened. Because of them, democracy lives. This is their legacy to the nation and to the world.

The trials and challenges are unending for a people who wants to build a secure future for its posterity. And every generation of Filipinos must fight in its own time the campaign for freedom and independence.

Today we face another battle. In this new struggle we are no longer faced with a foreign invader. But the foe is no less formidable. It is poverty. And it is complex and deeply rooted. It assumes many faces: among them, national stagnation, ignorance, criminality, corruption, divisiveness and environmental degradation.

The war will not be fought in the arenas of combat, but in our places of work, in farms, in international conference rooms, in research laboratories, in assembly plants, in schoolrooms and in our communities. There, we will strive to overcome our lack of competitiveness and grapple with the issues that have kept our nation and people from fulfilling the vision of our heroes of yesteryear and the gallant warriors of Bataan, Corregidor and the countrywide guerrilla resistance movement.

In this new challenge, all Filipinos are called to duty with the same selfless dedication, valor and daring manifested by those who fought at Mount Samat.

We are capable of such heroism. In February 1986 at EDSA, we proved our ability to rise above our differences for the sake of the country. In a surge of unity and fearlessness, our people threw out a dictatorship and regained our freedom. To win our battle today, this civic solidarity must be transformed and sustained into a continuing revolution of unity, industry, resourcefulness, talent and determination.

Redeeming a pledge

Many of our gallant heroes, their widows and their orphans of World War II are here with us today. Yet, many, many more are no longer with us. But surely they are with us in spirit. In tribute to them we affirm our commitment to international peace, cooperation and understanding.

We pledge not to let their heroism go to waste by ensuring that peace and freedom continue to reign in our region of Asia and the Pacific and to do our share to assure stability and prosperity for all peoples in our part of the world.

The time has come for us to redeem that pledge by our own daring and determination to overcome deprivation and sustain our freedom from poverty. Let the veterans be the first beneficiaries of our renewed efforts to attain sufficiency and prosperity. Surely they, more than others, deserve the generosity of the nation.

The Easter message of hope and joy after Christ’s suffering assumes a deeper meaning for all of us. Filipinos will rise again, for nowhere in the years that passed are we so near again to the goal of progress and dignity that has eluded us for so long.