The great-grandson of former President Emilio Aguinaldo said unity among all Filipinos and their effort to improve themselves play a vital role in the country’s preservation of independence.
“As guardians and caretakers of the flag, unity is so important. Ang dami nating magagawa kung sama-sama tayo. Every now and then, we voice our opinion and our thinking but after the election, it is time to unite and be our chosen leader. Pray to God that we are all healthy,” Emilio Aguinaldo Suntay III said during the 124th Independence Day celebration program of the city at the Baguio Convention Center.
The Aguinaldo Foundation has established a museum in Baguio where the flag brought by President Aguinaldo after fighting Spanish and the Americans in different places in Northern Luzon is kept.
Suntay said the flag is just a symbol of the country’s independence but as an individual, each can contribute a lot to the country’s preservation of independence, which our forebears have worked hard to achieve.
“Our response should be to be productive and creative. This is an important responsibility that we have to be productive and as Filipinos, let us bring out our creativity because it can help achieve financial freedom and financial capabilities so that we can defend our country,” he said.
Suntay said Filipinos should not rely on foreign aid because it would mean “tolerance to the giver”.
“Productivity in your own right, in your work para ang mga tao magawa nila ang gusto nila, they can be the best that they can be without being better than anybody,” he added.
Suntay said belief and praying to God, as well as building individual self-confidence, also contribute to the preservation of the country’s independence.
He said Filipinos should also look at the history of the country which is full of stories that can be a source of confidence to build oneself.
“Huwag natin i-bring down. It is good to be humble but it is also important to be confident and we can achieve what our forefathers achieved and maybe even more especially the young people. You will go higher than our ancestors. Marami tayong glorious history na pwede nating hanguan ng confidence,” he added. – PNA
