BAGUIO CITY – A senior military official underscored that it is the obligation of the present generation to educate today’s youth on the value of the country’s independence for the Filipinos to be able to achieve their desired identity.
Maj. Gen. Donato San Juan II, Superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), who was the guest of honor and speaker during the 118th celebration of the country’s independence from the Spanish colonizers last Sunday, asserted the need to sustain the passing on of the importance of freedom to the younger generation of Filipinos for them to be able to understand the sacrifices of our forefathers in fighting for our independence from our colonizers.
“There should come a time that independence will not be mere celebrations or commemorations but it will serve as an avenue for us to establish our own identity,” San Juan stressed.
The PMA official claimed elevating the celebration of our country’s independence to greater heights must be a concerted effort among various stakeholders so that they can reach out to a greater number of young individuals to put value to the commemoration of the country’s independence in the future.
According to him, it is high time for the older generation of Filipinos to move out of their comfort zone and reach out to the needs of the Filipino youth in order to make them a solid community giving importance to the sacrifice of our forefathers to free our nation from over 400 years of being colonized by the Spaniards.
San Juan emphasized freedom is key to peace and development provided that both the present and future generations of Filipinos will learn to work out the establishment of the needed identity that will be passed on to the coming generations of the country.
He called on the younger generations of Filipinos to look after the sacrifices of the veterans and learn from their experiences for them to be able to work out the establishment of a much awaited Filipino identity in the future.
In the Academy, San Juan informed local residents that soldiers are being taught the value of public service wherein service should always be above self for them to achieve their individual and collective goals as an institution in the fight to protect the freedom of the country and for such independence to be passed on to the coming generations.
As public servants, the PMA official claimed soldiers are being molded to become future leaders in our society who will be able to pass on the importance of making supreme sacrifices for the greater interest of the Filipino people, especially in their quest for a peaceful community to live in and robust development translating to the improved living condition of the people.
The PMA is considered as the premier military institution in the Asia-Pacific Region that have produced thousands of responsible and dedicated military officers over the past several decades of its existence as a military training school.
By Dexter A. See
