President Marcos delivers a message for the upcoming Independence Day. —screengrab from video message posted on Facebook account
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is leading the country’s 126th Independence Day celebrations today with a wreath-laying ceremony, a parade and a free concert at Rizal Park in Manila.
The President will start the festivities with flag-raising and wreath-laying rites at Rizal Monument at 8 a.m. He will be accompanied by Lisa Guerrero Nakpil, chair of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, and Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Simultaneous rites will be held at the Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite; Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan; Pinaglabanan Memorial Shrine in San Juan City; Mausoleo delos Veteranos dela Revolucion in Manila North Cemetery; Andres Bonifacio National Monument in Caloocan City; and Museo ng Kasaysayang Panlipunan ng Pilipinas in Angeles City, Pampanga.
READ: Marcos tells Filipinos to continuously ‘fight for freedom, sovereignty’
In Malacañang, Marcos is expected to host the vin d’honneur, an official reception for government officials and the diplomatic corps.
At 5 p.m., the President will be at Quirino Grandstand for the Parada ng Kalayaan, which features 20 floats showcasing the events that led to the country’s declaration of independence from Spain on June 12, 1898.
It will be followed by a free concert at the grandstand featuring the popular P-Pop (Pinoy-Pop) group BINI and other artists.
Employment opportunities
The Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) will hold 43 job fairs nationwide, where up to 106,298 local vacancies and 5,165 overseas vacancies will be offered by more than 1,000 employers.
The Dole said most of the job fairs would be held in shopping malls, where one-stop shops for government services will also be set up for jobseekers who want to process their preemployment documents.
In Metro Manila, Dole Regional Director Sarah Buena Mirasol will open the job fair at SM East Ortigas in Pasig City.
Others will be at SM City Grand Central, SM Manila, SM Mall of Asia Music Hall, SM City Marikina, SM Megamall, Vista Mall Taguig, SM Center Las Piñas, Robinsons Place Las Piñas, SM City Fairview, and Parañaque City Social Hall and Sports Complex.
The venue of the job fairs in other regions may be viewed on the Dole-Bureau of Local Employment web page (https://ble.dole.gov.ph/job-fair-schedules/).
Free rides
Major train services in Metro Manila will offer free rides during the rush hour today.
The operators of Metro Rail Transit Line 3 and Light Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2 said their passengers could avail of free rides from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) also said the number coding traffic scheme would be suspended during the holiday.
At Rizal Park, an MMDA booth will offer free registration for the Motorcycle Riding Academy, and also receive inquiries from motorists regarding traffic violations and payment of fines. —reports from Julie M. Aurelio and Jerome Aning