Secretary for Foreign Affairs Leads Independence Day Flag Ceremony at Philippine Center in New York
NEW YORK CITY, 12 June 2025 — Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo led the flag ceremony in commemoration of the 127th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence at the Philippine Center in New York.
The gathering was attended by personnel of the Philippine Permanent Mission to the United Nations, the Philippine Consulate General in New York, the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in New York, the Philippine Department of Tourism in New York, and the Philippine Center.
The ceremony featured the official Independence Day message of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who reflected on independence as a hard-earned legacy that must be safeguarded through unity, vigilance, and civic responsibility. He reminded Filipinos that the freedoms won in 1898 remain unfinished work, and that the nation’s progress depends not only on remembrance, but on collective resolve to confront the forces that divide and weaken it from within.
Secretary Manalo followed with his Independence Day message, which reaffirmed the Department of Foreign Affairs’ unwavering commitment to uphold the country’s sovereignty and promote its national interest on the global stage. “The same grit carved in the DNA of every Filipino who shed her or his blood for our independence is the same one that drives our diplomats to protect our sovereignty,” he said.
The theme “Kalayaan. Kinabukasan. Kasaysayan.” was first introduced in 2023 as part of the multi-year commemoration of the 125th anniversary of Philippine independence. It reaffirms the freedom won by the nation’s forebears, the future they envisioned, and the history that continues to shape the country’s identity. The message resonates with the vision of Bagong Pilipinas, which calls for a more inclusive and accountable society grounded in democratic values and a strong sense of nationhood. END
