Jose Rizal once asserted: “Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makakarting sa paroroonan.” These precious words remind both those in power and the ordinary citizen that, as important as iti is to strive for our better future, we cannot begin to build tomorrow’s Philippine home without first understanding yesterday’s lessons.
To honor our heroic dead, we their heirs must try and live some useful purpose in our remaining years. A nation exemplifies itself not only by those it honors and remembers. The rituals here will be meaningful only if we depart from this sacred memorial resolved to dedicate ourselves to the ideals for which those who lie here and elsewhere gave their lives in the defense of freedom.