By ARMANDO FENEQUITO JR.
DAVAO CITY – President Duterte will lead the 123rd anniversary of the martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal here this morning.
Sen. Bong Go said Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez will also join the President in a wreath-laying ceremony at Rizal Park scheduled at 8 a.m.
“He decided to celebrate here in his hometown because he will be going to the earthquake victims in M’lang and Digos City, Davao del Sur,” Go said.
Go said after the program, Duterte will go to the M’lang National High School in M’lang, Cotabato to meet earthquake victims at 11 a.m.
After this, the President will head to Digos City, Davao del Sur for the turnover of calamity assistance to quake victims in the province.
Go also said after the turnover, Duterte will attend the 60th founding anniversary of Cor Jesu College, also in Digos City.
Meanwhile, Malacañang yesterday expressed hope that the sacrifice of Rizal more than a century ago would push Filipinos to be better version of themselves as the country the anniversary of his martyrdom.
Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said Dec. 30 has become part of the Filipino’s collective imagination of the continuing revolution against those who still treat the Philippines as a vassal state.
“It is also during this occasion that we make Rizal’s death relevant in our day-to-day lives by, in our own small ways, being in the service of others, rooted in and strengthened by the love of the people. After all, it was Rizal who posited that life is useless if not consecrated to a great ideal,” he said.
“May Rizal’s sacrifice push us to be the better versions of ourselves and be agents of genuine change,” he added.
According to Panelo, Rizal Day is a reminder how Rizal’s death inspired other Filipinos to fight for the country’s freedom.
“Rizal’s passing 123 years ago did not go to waste as it fueled the re-awakening of our forefathers to stand up against the excesses or abuses of the colonizers which extended for over three centuries,” he said.
“It serves as an inspiration for the modern-day Rizals – the youth particularly – to remain steadfast on the challenges of the present times and to become beacons of hope for this motherland,” he added. (with a report from Argyll Geducos)
