‘The sufferings and hardships we stoutly bore, all the sacrifices we had undergone, all the terrible ordeal of zonas, Fort Santiago, torture, executions–they are today but a memory reminding us of the valor and vitality of our nation…’
THIS is for winners, not defeatists.
Lesson 1, Right to self-determination: “I would rather have a government run like hell by Filipinos than a government run like heaven by any foreigner. I said that once; I say it again, and I will always say it as long as I live. But that is not an admission that a government run by Filipinos will be a government run like hell. [Laughter.] Much less can it be an admission that a government run by Americans or by the people of any other foreign country, for that matter, can ever be a government run like heaven.”
[https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1939/12/09/speech-of-president-quezon-on-civil-liberties-december-9-1939/]
Lesson 2, the Strategy of Faith: “He remained in the Philippines to see the job of defense through. What held him there? His knowledge of the true character of Japan… He was convinced that the Philippines could be defended. It was not easy to arm a subject people.
He had, too, to meet with the scoffers who opposed all he tried to do, who spoke of the Philippine Army as ‘MacArthur’s Boy Scouts,’ who laughed at the theory that America might someday require a base in the Pacific, because that delightful little island, Japan, would never dare attack America. And there were those representatives of imperialism who said ‘the Filipinos will yet turn these guns against Americans’… For years he had said that when Japan did strike, it would be treacherously. He was justified when Japan launched aggression in Indochina and the mobilization of his Philippine Army was ordered.” [https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1945/01/25/speech-of-brigadier-general-romulo-in-the-house-of-representatives-of-the-united-states-congress-january-25-1945/]
Lesson 3, heroic self-defense means sacrifice: “A nation grows by the force of its achievements, the iron of its will to make something more than what may seen by the eyes, to give life within its boundaries a quality that will shine in the dark and define for all time the character and worth of the people of that country. I like to think that in Bataan we had forged this kind of quality, out of the materials that Filipinos before us have provided, from the time we claimed our right to this country, through the changing centuries, through slavery and colonialism and through the first intimations of the great destiny we could make for our nation, through the wars and the yearning, the disappointments and disenchantments, the many surrenders and defeats, and the surging leap once more to possess ourselves and our future.”
[https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1974/04/09/speech-of-president-marcos-the-meaning-of-bataan-today-april-9-1974/]
Lesson 4, every island is a beacon: “I was with the staff of General MacArthur when he decided to make a last stand on this island. I was a witness to the dauntless spirit of the officers and men who fought here…Corregidor held firmly until the strategic purpose of its resistance was achieved…We will not tolerate a world order which permits the prosperity of some nations to be achieved at the expense or the economic subjugation of others. We will dedicate this Republic to the Christian principle of equality of sovereignty and equal opportunity for all.” [https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1947/10/12/address-of-president-roxas-on-the-occasion-of-the-relinquishment-of-american-sovereignty-over-the-island-fortress-of-corregidor/]
Lesson 5, the value of memory: “It is difficult indeed to recapture those days of September and October of 1944. We had gone through physical and spiritual torments for more than three years…The sufferings and hardships we stoutly bore, all the sacrifices we had undergone, all the terrible ordeal of zonas, Fort Santiago, torture, executions–they are today but a memory reminding us of the valor and vitality of our nation, a nation that refused to be enslaved…and this must not be forgotten and it must be underscored–because the Filipino guerrillas for three years continued fighting the enemy in a nationwide resistance movement that for resourcefulness, courage, heroism, and devotion to the cause of freedom will rank as among the foremost in the history of World War II, and also because we had a civilian population that refused to be discouraged, intimidated, or terrorized, and which, in spite of all the false promises of the enemy, did not bend its knee to the invader.” [https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1956/10/20/speech-of-president-magsaysay-at-the-commemoration-ceremony-of-the-leyte-landing/]
Lesson 6, inculcate the reality of the fighting spirit of the commoners (not the bureaucrats, not the elitists): “The same story was replicated by similar guerrilla units in other parts of the country as the Allied forces landed on other shores–Mindoro, Lingayen Gulf, Batangas and later Tagaytay Ridge and Corregidor by parachute…We need modern-day heroes in our continuing battle against apathy and mediocrity…We can all be modern-day heroes if we focus our energies to do battle against the sinister forces that block our march toward progress and development.” [https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1994/10/20/speech-of-president-ramos-at-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-leyte-landing-philippine-liberation-campaign/]
Lesson 7, no rewards for puppets of aliens: “Our nation is justly proud of the guerrillas and the Philippine Government shall see to it that they are properly rewarded…Those charged with giving aid and comfort to the enemy, whether office holders or private citizens, with being traitors and disloyal to the governments of the Philippines and of the United States will be dealt with in accordance with law.”
[https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1944/11/23/speech-of-president-osmena-over-the-voice-of-freedom-november-23-1944/[
Lesson 8, the spectre haunting Asia-Pacific: “This avenging spirit marched with the liberation forces and side by side with their American allies ferreted the enemy out of his ratholes and without regard to life or limb hastened the early liberation of his benighted country. It must be the inspiration of this spirit which led Jose Abad Santos to a smiling death rather than bow to the enemy; that led Manuel Colayco and more like him to disregard their safety for the sake of their hapless countrymen. Much later, in the frozen wastes of Korea, the Filipino brought this ringing courage to meet the challenge of the Godless Communist aggression.” [https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1957/04/09/speech-of-president-garcia-delivered-at-the-bataan-day-rites-april-9-1957/]
Lesson 9, do not let famine stalk our land: “Despite the fact that the enemy has devastated our fields and taken away the produce of our lands, we do not now find people dying of hunger on our streets as they did a few months ago. Today we do not see the poor picking crumbs from garbage cans and left-overs from the floors of restaurants and other eating places in the City, as they did during the enemy regime, while those who were engaged in the buy-and-sell business wallowed in millions and in luxury. Today you are not eating dogs, cats and rats as many of you did three months ago, while the buy-and-sell people, the puppets, the collaborators, the spies were enjoying ham and eggs, tenderloin steaks and appetizing adobo.” [https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1945/04/01/speech-of-tomas-confesor-in-a-popular-meeting-held-under-the-auspices-of-the-manila-civilian-anti-japanese-association-april-1-1945/]
This is for Patriots, not the treasonous cowards.