BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan rallied local residents to bring back the discipline and unity that our forefathers possessed in liberating the country from our Spanish, American and Japanese colonizers so that our nation will be able to achieve lasting peace and development.
The local chief executive said that it has already been 118 years when our country was able to gain independence from our Spanish colonizers but the path to growth and development seems to be difficult because of the absence of a sense of nationalism among the present generation.
“We have to do justice to the uncompromising efforts of our forefathers that allowed our country to be free from our colonizers. Let us bring back the discipline and unity that they have shown for us to be able to achieve lasting peace and robust development in our midst,” Domogan stressed.
The city mayor underscored the success of our forefathers in liberating the country from our colonizers as the inspiration of the present and future generations of Filipinos to work for national peace and development and for our country to be counted as an economic tigers in the global village.
According to him, the discipline of every citizen in complying with simple rules and regulations will greatly help in the attainment of development from the smallest political unit of the bureaucracy up to the largest unit.
With the theme of this year’s 118th celebration of our country’s independence as “Pagkakaisa, Pag-aambagan at Pagsulong,” he explained that the contribution of every citizen to success and development is key in achieving the overall aspiration of the Filipinos for lasting peace and development anchored on the lessons they were able to learn from the untold stories of not only the heroes of the struggles but also the sacrifices of the people for our country’s liberation from our colonizers.
He expressed disappointment that today’s youth who are supposed to be the future of the nation lack the appropriate discipline and unity to be able to hurdle the temptations of the current times thereby allowing the evils of society to prevail on them.
He said that today’s youth must not allow the serious negative effects of the advancement of information and communication technology to prevail upon them but instead allow them to learn the good deeds and teachings of the Almighty Father for them to be able to resist temptation that will allow them to hurdle the obstacles that prevent them from becoming responsible and dedicated citizens of the nation.
Domogan believes that there is still room for improvement among today’s youth that is why surviving veterans continue to pass on the legacy that they have gone through to their family members and relatives with the hope that the youth will develop the sense of nationalism that will establish a unique identity of the Filipinos in the global village.
By Dexter A. See