Independence Day reminds us of the true cost of freedom, as we hear the distant echoes of our people’s long, courageous march to liberty.
Centuries ago, our forebears fought their colonizers, with sticks and swords and bayonets and guns, bound by love for a country that would not quit despite the stealth and might of the enemy.
It behooves us to recall our heroic past, and the critical role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the First Republic.
The young ministry under Apolinario Mabini began with patriotic and lofty goals, namely, to seek world recognition for the Malolos Government and to establish cordial ties between the Philippines and her neighbors.
In this millennium, the Department of Foreign Affairs continues to reach out to its neighbors, in international, regional and bilateral forums, principally the UN General Assembly, the UN Security Council, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the East Asia Summit and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum.
We seek partnerships in furtherance of our national interest and in our role as a good neighbor. Our global presence has broadened in aid of the Filipino Diaspora, so that every diplomat and consular officer has assumed the most difficult yet unspoken role of guardian to citizens in need.
The celebration of our nation’s birth is a solemn occasion for us to pledge ourselves to this valiant mission of public service, as diplomats and servant-leaders, as Filipinos, and thus, citizens of the world.
I ask my co-workers in the department to honor our heroes by upholding the best standards of the Foreign Service and serving as a sturdy bridge to a stronger nation and a more peaceful world.
Alberto G. Romulo
Secretary of Foreign Affairs
