Rites for 125 years of freedom readied

President Marcos has created an interagency task force for the commemoration of the Philippines’ 125th Independence Day on June 12, which will fall on a Monday.

Under Administrative Order No. 8, the 125th anniversary of Philippine independence and nationhood will be celebrated for an entire year, or until 2026, to “give focus on the freedom that our forebears struggled for toward that they dreamed for the country and the history that we seek to remember and honor them with.”

The President named the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) as chair of the task force with the Department of the Interior and Local Government as vice chair.

Other committee members are the Department of Tourism, Department of Education, Department of National Defense, Department of Information and Communications Technology, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Transportation and the Metro Manila Development Authority.

Marcos said the agencies would “facilitate the planning and execution of programs and projects” for the commemoration of this year’s Independence Day.

The order said funds needed by the interagency would be sourced from available appropriations of the NHCP and the participating government agencies subject to existing budget, auditing laws, rules and regulations.

Under Republic Act No. 10086, or the “Strengthening Peoples’ Nationalism Through Philippine History Act,” the state shall provide the means to “strengthen people’s nationalism, love of country, respect for its heroes and pride for the people’s accomplishments by reinforcing the importance of Philippine national and local history in daily life with the end in view of raising social consciousness.”

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