DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio encouraged Dabawenyos to be vigilant and to always fight for anything that "imprisons" them during her 119th Independence Day message Monday, June 12.
“No matter where we come from evil is a common enemy that we, in unity, should suppress,” she said.
She added that the gift of liberty is a gift by our forefathers which will likewise be a heritage we can pass on to our children.
She added that one must embrace his or her gifts and rights.
Duterte-Carpio said that Independence Day is an occasion to pay tribute to the heroic deeds of brave Filipino men and women who fought for the country's sovereignty and "that it is but a reminder that we all share in the accountability of preserving of freedom and peace for our nation."
“How we can boldly express our thoughts in social media, how the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) can openly declare their identity, how women can competitively aspire for any profession and how our religious sectors can freely uphold their beliefs, signify how blessed we are for the autonomy we savor today,” she said.
She said that modern day shackles and prisons in forms of terrorism strife, fear and insurgency "are things that we should continue to fight against in order not to render meaningless the triumphs of the past years."
Duterte-Carpio gave her opening speech before officials, groups, government organizations, and security forces at the Rizal Park, here.
The simple celebration started with a flag raising ceremony led by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and it ended with flower offering of different groups and organizations. (KVC)