President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. speaks at the 503rd anniversary of the Battle of Mactan in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. on Saturday, April 27, 2024. (Photo from an RTVM video posted on Facebook)
MANILA, Philippines — Nationalism is still alive among Filipinos as manifested by their strength of will that enables the steady progress of the country, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said on Saturday at the 503rd anniversary commemoration of the Battle of Mactan in Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu.
“I am happy that the spirit of nationalism is still very much alive — not just here in Mactan, not just in Cebu, not just in the Visayas, but in the whole Philippines. This is seen in our confidence in our own strength and the belief that the success of progress in our country depends on us,” Marcos said in Filipino.
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Marcos added that courage and unity would also help solve some of the country’s problems, such as hunger and a lack of education, and offer opportunities for improving life.
“In these times, we have new challenges for which the solutions are not violence or weapons. It needs our courage, our action, and most of all, our unity,” he said.
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“This is our shield against poverty, our weapon to fight sickness, hunger, a lack of education, a lack of progress, and the scarcity of opportunities for making the lives of each Filipino more comfortable,” he said.
The Battle of Mactan, which took place on April 27, 1521, marked the victory of local inhabitants led by chieftain Lapulapu against Spanish forces headed by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.