(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte expressed hope Filipinos would be “inspired by the promise of new beginnings that the New Year brings.”
In expressing the optimism, the President in his New Year’s message noted that Filipinos were “given a fresh start and opportunity to aim higher and to do things better-in the spirit of genuine malasakit at pagbabago.”
He expressed hope that all Filipinos’ aspirations would be “guided by our strong sense of nationhood..”
“May we also find a stronger and higher purpose in our lives so that we may pursue only what is good for our families, communities and the entire nation,” he said.
In his message, the President also hailed the Filipino’s resiliency, adding that while “we have been through many challenging times..our distinct resilience and bayanihan spirit allowed us to prevail and come out stronger.”
He particularly hailed the dedication and courage of medical and essential frontliners, uniformed services, civilian personnel, and volunteers, noting that they “demonstrate what great things we can achieve if we work in solidarity.”
“Let us cherish all that we have experienced in the previous year, including our struggles and victories in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic and the ravages of Typhoon Odette,” he said.