Marcos to Pinoys: Emulate bravery, stand by our freedom

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday urged the Filipinos to draw strength from the resilience and bravery shown by their ancestors since "foul forces continue to threaten" the country.

The Chief Executive issued his Day of Valor (Araw ng Kagitingan) message as tensions between Manila and Beijing on the West Philippine Sea have intensified since last year.

In the message, Marcos wants his fellow countrymen to learn from history and "stand by our cherished freedoms and principles" as Filipinos continues to fight for freedom and democracy.

"Foul forces continue to threaten us outside and within, endangering the hard-fought gains we made for our country," Marcos said.

"There are times when our struggles seem too complex or too daunting. Still, it is precisely during those moments that we must stand by our cherished freedoms and principles, perform our tasks with utmost dedication and diligence, and fight fiercely for a better life and a brighter future," Marcos added.

Marcos also mentioned that the challenges confronting the nation today are no less daunting despite living in a vastly different era where the Filipino ancestors had to fight for their democracy more than eight decades ago.

The Chief Executive also said that the immortal line "Bataan has fallen," which was first heard 82 years ago, revealed the great paradox of the Filipino spirit.

"From the ashes of that defeat, we would rise even harder to secure the eventual freedom of our nation," he said.

Bataan Day on 09 April marks the remembrance of the final resistance of Filipino and American troops against Japanese invaders during World War II, leading to their eventual surrender.

The national observance of Bataan Day was established in 1961 by Republic Act No. 3022.