(Eagle News)—The Palace on Sunday, Dec. 30, urged Filipinos to “become modern-day heroes to sustain our fight for freedom from all the ills of society.”
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo issued the statement on Rizal Day, which commemorates the martyrdom of the country’s national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.
“In these challenging and crucial times, we need equally courageous and principled Filipinos, stripped of apathy and selfishness..,” Panelo said.
According to Panelo, “it is a useless life that is not consecrated to a vision and fulfillment of a great ideal.”
“Jose Rizal’s martyrdom should propel us to rise to the challenge of the times and unchain ourselves from our stupor of indifference and race to the finish line of genuine change and prosperity,” Panelo said.
“More than one century has passed since his execution in Bagumbayan, but his influence on our nation’s evolution remains relevant today as it was 122 years ago,” he added.
President Rodrigo Duterte will lead Rizal Day rites in Davao on this day.
Earlier, Vice President Leni Robredo led a wreath-laying ceremony at the Rizal monument in Luneta, Manila.
