INTRODUCTION
Today, March 5, 1998, we start the 100-day countdown to the most important event in our lifetime — the centennial of the declaration of Philippine independence on June 12, 1998.

No other event in our history can ever come close in significance to that stirring moment one hundred years ago in Kawit, Cavite, which set into motion a chain of events that brought us to the threshold of freedom and earned for us the shining distinction of founding Asia’s first democratic republic.

On June 12, 1898, General Emilio Aguinaldo and his revolutionaries gave concrete form to the collective aspirations of our people.

We did not get to taste its fruits immediately, for the road to freedom was long and difficult. But in traversing that freedom trail, we learned the lessons of nationhood: how to value freedom and liberty, and, in learning and knowing, laid the foundation for the democratic society that we enjoy today.

The blessings of sovereignty, the democratic traditions that we uphold, and the nation and society that we have become, sprung up, all came from that one proud moment in Kawit one hundred years ago.
THE ESSENCE OF THE CENTENNIAL
As just witnessed in our live television interaction with leaders in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, we begin the countdown here in manila, and in all the provincial capitals of the Philippines.

It is only proper that the entire nation marks the beginning of the countdown to the centennial, for the centennial is a celebration of the entire Filipino people. While the Philippine Revolution was waged initially in the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Bulacan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Manila and Nueva Ecija, it caught fire and eventually spread throughout the archipelago.

The nationwide countdown in all the provinces of the country reflects what we have become today: a country united in the spirit of freedom; a people imbued with the ideals of justice, liberty and equality; a society committed to the pursuit of a better life for all; and a government dedicated to people empowerment and global competitiveness.

This is the essence of the celebration of the centennial and the purpose of all the activities that comprise the 100-day countdown to June 12, 1998.

From today, throughout the land, through various undertakings and festivities, we shall be celebrating our freedom, and our aspirations as a people, even as we honor our revolutionary heroes and forebears who made all these possible.

These activities do not just commemorate the past; they also celebrate the future.

They involve a whole range of activities undertaken by various sectors of the community.

We have sports competitions, such as the Kampana Centennial Cycling Tour in Cavite on march 7, the Iloilo-Guimaras Paraw Regatta on March 16, and the Centennial Palarong Pambansa in April in Bacolod. There will be cultural programs such as the oratorical, song-writing contests of the Kannawidan ti Amianan of the Ilocos Region, and, among our local government units, the search for local heroes and heroines. We will also be doing the planting of centennial trees, the identification, preservation and sprucing up of historically important structures, and the establishment of historical societies in each province.

On April 30, we shall open the Expo Pilipino, a centennial flagship project now being completed inside Clark Field in Pampanga. Expo Pilipino is an exhibition of Philippine history: our achievements in trade and investment, education, environment, arts, technology, tourism, and international relations.

It is a showcase of our glorious past, of what we are today, and of what we can become in the next millennium.

And all throughout the 100-day countdown, we will inaugurate the nation-wide centennial freedom trail — the network of historical sites relevant to the Filipinos’ quest for freedom.

These sites allow us to focus on the historical climactic events from the outset of the Revolution in 1896, such as the Cry of Pugad Lawin on August 23, 1896, the Biak-na-Bato peace pact on May 31, 1897, in Bulacan, to the first major victory of the Katipunan against colonial forces in Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite.

We are building new structures and enhancing old ones in the centennial freedom trail sites in remembrance of our glorious past, in tribute to our heroes, and in order to enable our present generation to appreciate the travails of our forebears.

On May 28, we shall have a 100-parade contest to kick off a two-week period in which we pay special honor to our national symbol, the Philippine national flag, by having all our houses and establishments display the flag.

As the symbol of our struggle for independence, as a symbol of the sacrifice and martyrdom of our revolutionary heroes, and as a symbol of the Filipino nation and the republic, it is only fitting that the national flag occupies the foremost place in the 14 days leading to the centennial.

The Philippine national flag, its sun and stars, cloth and colors, represent our past, our present, our future, wherever we are, whatever be our status in life, whatever our personal aspirations may be.
FOSTERING UNITY THROUGH THE CENTENNIAL
The centennial celebrations are not just a retelling of our history — how our revolutionary forebears fought, lived and died to attain our freedoms, our independence — they are an opportunity for fostering Filipino unity and brotherhood, and in strengthening the bonds of nationhood.

We started out as Ilocanos fighting our colonial masters over basi; Bicolanos raging over the death of the 12 Bicol Martyrs; Cebuanos revolting against the Spaniards in the battle of Tres de Abril; Aklanons grieving over the death of their 19 Martyrs; Tagalogs banding together to form the Katipunan. But, in the end, it did not matter where we came from, or where we grew up, or what dialects we spoke, or what tribes we belonged to.

What finally mattered was that we had a common objective — to gain freedom and independence — and that this objective brought us all together as Filipinos.

Let us now seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to become stronger as a people and as a nation. Let us all take part in the centennial of the declaration of Philippine independence. Let us all joyously participate in the centennial of our nationhood.

To the National Centennial Commission (NCC), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and to the provinces, cities, towns and barangays, our warmest congratulations for leading in the 100-day countdown and for promoting the activities leading to June 12, 1998.

To the Filipino people, I extend my invitation for everyone to join in the celebration and the commemoration of the centennial.

On June 12, 1998 and for all time, let us finally be united, let us be one, let us all be the Filipinos for whom Aguinaldo, Bonifacio, Rizal and all our heroes fought and died. Let us, their sons and daughters, be worthy of their devotion and heroism.

Mabuhay ang ating mga bayani!

Mabuhay ang Sentenaryo!

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!