「日刊まにら新聞」ウェブ

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. said he wants to return the values of ''honor, duty and compassion'', which was how his late father ran the government.

In his speech during the celebration of the 105th birth anniversary of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in Batac, Ilocos Norte last Sunday, Marcos said:'' These are the elements that sometimes we have found lacking in the past few years.

''And this is our opportunity to return it, not only to the government, but to every part of our society," he added.

"These are the things we learned from Ferdinand Edralin Marcos. These are the things we keep in our heart. And these are the things that will guide this administration," Marcos said.

Marcos declared Sept 12 as special non-working day in Ilocos Norte.

Earlier, he visited his father's grave at the Libingan ng Bayani and a thanksgiving mass which was also attended by former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos.

At the Libingan ng Mga Bayani, Marcos thanked their supporters for backing their family.

"In exchange for your support and love (for my father), I will give you my best performance in the coming years," Marcos said.

Marcos urged Filipinos to keep his father’s flame alive and use it to guide them in the future.

“Many people are asking why we are celebrating the birthday of our beloved even though he is gone. And I think it is only to keep, that we do this to keep his memory alive. It is a rebirth of not perhaps the physical body of Ferdinand Marcos but it is a rebirth of his dream, of his wisdom, of his love to his country,” Marcos said.

“So let us keep that flame alive. It is reborn, let us keep it strong and bright. And let it guide us through all that we do in the future in observance of our beloved,” he added.

Ferdinand Marcos Sr was president from 1965 until 1986. He and his family left the Philippines due to the People Power Revolution in 1986 for Hawaii where he passed away on September 29, 1989. DMS/Jaspearl Tan