Armed with the spirit of the First Philippine Republic, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Filipinos will resist those who trample the country’s shores, saying the territory defended by the nation’s forefathers remains unconquerable.

“For that is the only way that we can honor those who founded this Republic, those who fought for its ideals, and those who fell in the war,” President Marcos said during the 125th anniversary of the First Philippine Republic in Barasoain Church in Malolos City, Bulacan.

“And the fight continues up to this day, because while the great cause of freedom endures, it still faces threats, some shocking, some subtle, but all met with the same resolve. To those who ‘trample our sacred shores’, the Spirit of Malolos commands us to resist you, for the territory our forefathers fought for is unconquerable.”

According to the President, the history made in Malolos City continues to inspire Filipinos to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of the nation’s march to progress amid the challenging times, in a changing world with complex problems.

But aside from the external forces confronting the country, the President said the wars that Filipinos fight today involve no armies to be crushed or trenches to be overwhelmed.

He said the Philippines is waging war against poverty, hunger, and disease that claim more lives than any armed conflicts.

“Their defeat requires new weapons of the day, forged by patriots, to be wielded against enemies neither take no prisoners nor cease or cede any ground,” Marcos said.

In fighting this war, Marcos said the government has been building better farms, more hospitals and schools, bringing water and energy to every home, as well as working for the higher income and better jobs to combat poverty.

The administration is also striving for equal treatment before the law, putting up more street lights for the people, securing peace from all quarters, and working to forge national unity, the President pointed out.

The First Philippine Republic was established in Malolos, Bulacan, during the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonizers and the Spanish-American War through the promulgation of the Malolos Constitution on January 22, 1899, which succeeded the Revolutionary Government of the Philippines.

Referred to by historians as the Malolos Republic, it was formally established with Emilio Aguinaldo as president. PND