Connecting this year’s Independence Day celebration with the tension-filled atmosphere in Negros Oriental, Governor Manuel Sagarbarria emphasized yesterday the need for unity and healing following recent events that marred the province’s peace and security.
Sagarbarria led the 125th Independence Day commemoration at Ninoy Aquino Freedom Park in Dumaguete City with key officials from government agencies and civil society organizations.
“It reminds us that the sacrifices of our heroes and the love they shed for our Motherland should not fall in vain,” Sagarbarria said.
He urged shunning political divisiveness that has overshadowed the province in the past and act together to propel Negros Oriental forward with hard work, discipline, vision of progress, and development.
The 36-year-old governor, who rose to his position by rule of succession following the deaths this year of two predecessors — Roel Degamo and Carlo Jorge Joan Reyes — vowed to lead the province with a “firm commitment” and to work “tirelessly to foster unity, peace and progress” for the province.
Degamo, 57 years old, was gunned down inside his residential compound in Pamplona town on March 4 while Reyes, 62 years old, succumbed to a lingering illness on May 31.
“Together we build from the ashes of violence, hatred, and division and, by God’s grace and blessing, let us work together to heal the wounds of division,” he said.
The freedom being enjoyed today by everyone would be useless if there is fear, violence, hatred, and vengeance, he added.
In a separate celebration, Dumaguete Mayor Felipe Remollo led local officials and other sectors at the city’s commemoration at Quezon Park, with Regional Director Leocadio Trovela of the Department of the Interior and Local Government as the guest of honor and speaker.
Trovela stressed that each one has a role in building the community, as he appealed for a society where no one is left behind.
“In our pursuit of progress, let us also remember to uplift the marginalized and disadvantaged among us,” Trovela said.
“As we celebrate this day of independence, let us renew our commitment to our nation. It is through our individual actions that we can collectively shape our destiny,” he added.
He urged everyone to remember the sacrifices and struggles of the country’s forefathers and be inspired by their stories to become “better versions of ourselves, to always strive for greatness, and to never lose faith in the inherent strength and resilience of the Filipino spirit.” (PNA)