Uh thank you very much to uh uh well my son the first district uh congressman of locos norte Sandro Marcos for your I thought you were going to make a speech you know so uh but thank you for your greeting please uh please uh please have a seat our house speaker uh speaker bodi locos uh nort second district representative Angel Marcos Barba Norte Governor St. Marcos Nolcom Commander Lieutenant General Aristotel Gonzalez, Batak City Mayor Marky Chua, and of course uh First Lady Luis Aronetta Marcos and sec second district representative. second district representative. Yeah, I've mentioned you already angel. Yeah, cuz he's a in the family. He's we know him as Angel. Not Angel. The mayors, vice mayors, counselors, members of the Sanunam Paligan on Kilos Norte and all uh government officials and uh workers in government. Uh my fellow workers in government and public service. Uh, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, today on the 11th day of September, we are here once again to celebrate what would have been the 109th birthday of my father, Ferdinand E. Marcus, Senior. Senior because when my father was alive, it was okay for me. But uh I'm sure that uh but if he were alive at this point then he would finally accept that uh uh this junior already has a senior. Uh he would be surprised that the junior is actually technically a senior but I think the mayor of Batak up to now is still trying to give me my senior card. See, Albert Pang mayor when you first he when I turned senior uh he came to me and he was with me when he celebrated my birthday as you all can realize and first of all I would like to thank all of you for joining us in this celebration. ation because we have uh this is an extremely important day for the family and for the province and for that matter for the history of the Philippines and we thank you for joining us in making that this celebration once again meaningful, poignant, touching and brings back the memory of the great man that we honor today. It also serves as an occasion to remember the life of service and the lessons that he left us. Of course, I first knew him as my father and many of the lessons that I remember were the ones he taught me when I was still very young. And it is remarkable because uh now I find myself in the position of president and I am surprised once in a while I surprise myself when I uh when I confronted with a situation and have a solution or at least a response a proper response to those situations. I also I asked myself, how is it that you knew how to how to address the challenges that were put before you? And I look back on my life and I say it is remarkable because my father never sat me down and said the lesson for today is that you must learn this that and the other thing. His way was to teach by example and to teach by leadership. And even when I was just talking to him, even when I was just spending time with him, what rare time that was, I did not know it. But he was already teaching me that he was already training me. And he was training me not to become an important uh public uh uh figure, not to uh reach the heights of of political of political leadership and position. But he taught me about public service and uh and he always would say that you must make that nothing worthwhile is achieved without great sacrifice. So one lesson immediately that I remember was he would ever say do not ever take the easy way out. Do what is right no matter how difficult that that may be. But perhaps the most important lesson that I learned from him was public service must be about your country and your countrymen. It is a principle that guided him throughout his life from his service as a soldier to his years in public office and eventually as president. I today carry the responsibilities of that office. But the same principles continue to guide me every single day because in every decision that we make, we must exercise judgment, put the national interest first, and ask what will best serve the Filipino people. Because what we do in service of our people is not for ourselves. It is for the country. It is for the people. And you must always remember that there is no sacrifice too great for your people and for your country. It is not a lesson only for those in government. It is something that all of us must carry into our everyday lives. We must serve our fellows. We must do our part to leave the Philippines a better place than when we found it. And it is also fitting today that in honoring my father, we also celebrate the people in the place that remained so close to his heart throughout his life. So I hope all of you enjoy the activities that we have prepared for everyone. We have uh events that showcase Ilukano's the Ilukano dishes and products as well as music and performances that he enjoyed so much. I think that those of you who remember when my father was still alive, every time he would come to in Batak or he would be staying in the house in Pawway, it was always very difficult for us to bring him back to Manila because he was uh he was so uh comfortable and it was of course his most uh uh the the place that was closest to his heart, the people that were closest to his heart. And more than anything today, I hope we enjoy this opportunity to once again gather as one community and celebrate the province that we all call home. He loved this place. He loved his fellow Ilukanos. More than that, he loved his fellow Filipinos and he loved his country to which he devoted his life. That is the legacy that I carry with me. And so now I devote my life in service of the Philippine. Happy birthday, Dad. Thank you for the lessons you taught us. Thank you for the example of service that continues to guide us.