COMMON CAUSE On Monday, both President Marcos and protesters against China’s trespassing in Philippine waters marked National Heroes’ Day by honoring the soldiers and fisherfolk upholding the country’s sovereignty and maritime rights. —Photos by Niño Jesus Orbeta

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos on Monday marked National Heroes’ Day by honoring Filipino fisherfolk and government forces safeguarding the country’s waters.

In a speech at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, he cited members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, as well as Filipino fisherfolk, as among the “many faces” of modern-day heroism who are “at the forefront of protecting our rights, livelihoods and national interests in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).”

But Marcos also reminded the public that defending the country’s territory and maritime rights is the responsibility of all Filipinos.

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“This calls on each of us to understand our history, to know our rights, and to take part in protecting the national interests,” he said, as protesters also commemorated National Heroes’ Day outside the Chinese Embassy in Makati.

READ: Filipinos who braved floods, disasters hailed as modern-day heroes

Rear Adm. Jay Tarriela urged Filipinos to “shed our defeatist mindset” in upholding the country’s sovereignty.

“[D]efeatism never represented what our heroes stood for,” said the PCG spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea.

Earlier on Saturday, Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. addressed a forum of youth ambassadors, urging them to keep in mind the largely unprotected Philippine Rise northeast of the archipelago—a bigger maritime resource which he described as “sources of potential sustenance, energy for future generations.”—WITH REPORTS FROM JOHN ERIC MENDOZA, AND GABRYELLE DUMALAG

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