Philippines President Duterte leads 'National Heroes Day' rites

President Duterte leads National Heroes Day rites at 'Libingan ng mga Bayani' in Taguig City

Taguig City (CNN Philippines): President Rodrigo Duterte led the National Heroes Day flag-raising and wreath-laying ceremonies on Monday.

The commemorative program began at 8 a.m. at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City. As the guest of honor, the President delivered a speech.

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines led the program, in coordination with other government agencies, local government units, and non-government organizations. This year's theme was "Bawat Pilipino, Bayaning Katuwang sa Pagbabago."

AFP Chief Chaplain Brigadier General Tirso A. Dolina of the Armed Forces of the Philippines led the invocation, while Taguig City Mayor Maria Laarni Lopez-Cayetano gave the welcoming remarks. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana introduced the President.

Watch President Duterte's speech on National Heroes' Day

“I consider the fight against drugs a war, there is a crisis in this country, it is drugs … it has infected every nook and corner,” Mr. Duterte said in a National Heroes’ Day speech at Libingan ng mga Bayani before retired and active soldiers, government officials and foreign diplomats.

Singling out corrupt policemen known as “ninjas,” who take payoffs from drug lords, Duterte said he was placing a P2-million bounty on each rogue official, telling their colleagues to “squeal on your friends.”

Mr. Duterte last month named about 160 government officials, judges, policemen and soldiers who he said were protecting drug traffickers or selling drugs in their communities. (Read more at Inquirer.net)

From National Heroes Day at Gov.ph:

In 1952, President Elpidio Quirino reverted the date of National Heroes Day back to the last Sunday of August. Through Administrative Order No. 190, s. 1952, he appointed Secretary of Education Cecilio Puton as head of a committee to take charge of the National Heroes Day celebration, which took place on August 31, 1952. He then delivered a speech on the same day at the Philippine Normal College (formerly Philippine Normal University), explaining that the “change has become necessary because of the interest from different sectors of our country to celebrate each hero’s anniversary in order to perpetuate his [Andres Bonifacio’s] name.”

President Corazon C. Aquino’s Administrative Code of 1987 adopted this in Executive Order No. 292, Book 1, Chapter 7, which provided for a list of regular holidays and nationwide special days, setting National Heroes Day as a regular holiday celebrated on the last Sunday of August. The Administrative Code provides that the list of holidays and special days may be “modified by law, order or proclamation.”

On July 24, 2007, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law Republic Act No. 9492, which amended Book 1, Chapter 7 of the Administrative Code. By virtue of R.A. 9492, the celebration of National Heroes Day thus falls on the last Monday of August. The rationale behind the move was President Arroyo’s “Holiday Economics” programme, which aimed to reduce work disruptions by moving holidays to the nearest Monday or Friday of the week, thus allowing for longer weekends and boosting domestic leisure and tourism.

Our national heroes are often portrayed as a pantheon of distinct and powerful personalities who have managed to get their names published in our history books by virtue of their words or actions. But National Heroes Day specifies no hero; the law that put into practice the celebration does not name a single one. And this lack of specifics offers an opportunity to celebrate the bravery of not one, not a few, but all Filipino heroes who have braved death or persecution for home, nation, justice, and freedom.