MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday led the commemoration of the 159th birth anniversary of Andres Bonifacio, the father of the revolution that freed Filipinos from Spanish colonizers.

Marcos, along with other government officials, arrived at the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan and laid a wreath to pay their respects to the slain founder of the Katipunan.

“Ang pagsariwa sa alala ni Gat Andres Bonifacio at iba pang mga bayani ay mahalaga upang pagyamanin natin ang ating kasaysayan na siyang nag gagabay tungo sa mas magandang kinabukasan,” Marcos said in his speech.

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“Di matatawaran ang kaniyang tapang para sa bayan at sa mamamayan… Isang uri ng tapang na hindi sumusuko kahit sa gitna ng panganib matiyak lamang ang interes ng bayan at ng bawat Pilipino,” he said.

Marcos reminded Filipinos that as heirs of the freedom that Bonifacio fought for, it is “our duty to keep their causes alive.”

“Sikapin natin na maging pinakamahusay na uri ng ating mga sarili,” the President said.

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“Bawat isa sa atin ay may angking kakayahan na makagawa ng kabutihan sa ating pamayanan… Ang bawat isa ay maaring maging bayani sa ating sariling paraan,” he said.

In a separate message, Marcos also urged Filipinos to “cherish the freedoms we hold with even greater fervor as we commemorate the birth anniversary of Gat Andres Bonifacio.”

“His spirit lives on in the stories we tell and use to build on his legacy, breathing new life into his words with our sense of duty and patriotism,” he said,

“It is through the bold ideas of the Father of the Philippine Revolution that our heroic ancestors were able to muster the will and the courage to fight their oppressors thereby paving the way to our motherland’s eventual emancipation,” he said.

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“Indeed, it was his deeds that provided the impetus for our collective liberation, which we are challenged to preserve and protect amidst these trying times,” he said.

While the Philippines is “no longer constrained” by foreign colonizers, the country must “remain vigilant in protecting our country from social ills and other elements that threaten our liberties,” the President said.

“I call on my fellow Filipinos to honor Bonifacio’s life of extraordinary selflessness by becoming dutiful and law-abiding citizens who will contribute towards a brighter and freer future for all Filipinos,” he said.

Bonifacio was killed 1897 after his comrades in the Katipunan accused him of treason.

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