Ramos proclaims 1997 as
"Year of the Filipino Spirit"

President Fidel V. Ramos

“When we speak of the Filipino spirit, we speak of the essential qualities of our people that have shaped us into the nation that emerged in 1898 and the nation that we are today,” the President said in his speech at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park Tuesday, January 28, 1997.

Before his speech, President Ramos unveiled the Filipino Spirit marker, which is shaped like an upside down pyramid. The President was assisted by Philippine Centennial Commission Vice Chairman Cesar Virata, Education Secretary Ricardo Gloria, Defense Secretary Renato De Villa, Interior and Local Government Secretary Robert Barbers and other Centennial Commission officials.

The ceremonies were highlighted by a parade participated in by Philippine National Police banks and 16 agencies of the Filipino Spirit Committee and the Pledge of Commitment led by Secretary Gloria.

“As the Filipino spirit freed us from foreign domination and our own weaknesses, so now it must enable us to realize the dream of a just, peaceful and prosperous society,” the President said.

The President pointed out that in the face of the many challenges besetting the country, “we have surely acquitted ourselves in restoring freedom and democracy in our land and in bringing our country back on the road to economic and social progress.”

The President underscored the need for each generation to strive to do more because it stands on the shoulders of giants in the preceding generations.

“This is the heart of our task as the fourth generation of Filipinos to emerge since the birth of the nation nearly a century ago,” the President said, adding that “the spirit that made us free also gives us the means to write a new and exciting chapter in our history.”

Quoting Dr. Jose P. Rizal in his essay “The Indolence of the Filipinos,” President Ramos said the success of the nation rest on a government made able by a noble citizenry.

“If we want progress, then each and every one must do his share to make it happen,” the President said.

“With the heroism of our forbearers to inspire us, with our just accomplishments to spur us, and with God’s grace, let us move on to greater heights in our nation’s history,” the President said.

The President cited the five qualities distilled from the sum of our experiences by the historian Fr. Horacio de la Costa. These are pagsasarili, pakikisama, pagkakaisa, pagkabayani, and pakikipagkapwa-tao.

Elaborating on these qualities, President Ramos said:

“Pagsasarili -- because we Filipinos ardently believe in self reliance,

“Pakikisama -- because we Filipinos believe in the equitable sharing of goods and services in a spirit of partnership,

“Pagkakaisa -- because we Filipinos believe we cannot get anything done on a national scale unless we pull together as a team,

“Pagkabayani -- because we Filipinos believe that no sacrifice can be too great for our country, and

“Pakikipagkapwa-tao -- because we Filipinos know that no man is an island; we are all brothers and sisters to one another.’

“Looking at our history, again and again we see how these five principles have become indubitable marks of the Filipino spirit -- taking us to feats of greatness in the deeds of our forebearers, and leaving us in crisis when they deserted us,” the President said.

Through the salutary working of these five principles, President Ramos said “we have become the nation that we are today.”

This article was featured in the Centennial Philippines, February 1997, newsletter.