DFA reiterates commitment to serve OFWs

MANILA, Philippines - As the country marked its 110th Independence Day Thursday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reiterated its commitment to promote the welfare of Filipinos overseas.

DFA secretary Alberto Romulo, in a statement, said the DFA remains determined to fulfill its mandate to use diplomacy to protect Philippine interests abroad.

"On this joyful national occasion, the Department of Foreign Affairs reaffirms its determination to fulfill its mandate of harnessing diplomacy for the protection, preservation, and promotion of our national interests in a free, stable, and prosperous world," he said in his statement on the DFA website.

"Collectively and individually, we in the DFA rededicate ourselves to our overriding objective: Service to the Filipino at home and to the global Filipino overseas," he added.

Romulo said Filipinos today stand as one country, "proud of our freedoms, vigilant of our rights, and dedicated to strengthening to the fullest extent our democratic institutions and processes."

He said Filipinos remember their heroic forebears with gratitude and reverence, along with their libertarian ideas, patriotic principles, and sacrifices on the altar of freedom.

On the other hand, he said Filipinos' collective experiences continue to animate a national spirit resilient in the face of every obstacle.

"Guided by a profound respect for democratic values, we continue resolutely to chart our national course toward more lasting peace, more equitable development, and greater prosperity that leaves no one behind," he said.

"As one people, we remain committed to overcoming the challenges and seizing the opportunities put to every nation by our globalizing world," he added.

Romulo said the Philippines, as a responsible member of the international community, will "continue to do our part to create a world safer and more secure from the scourges of poverty, strife, and environmental degradation."

He said this year's theme of Independence celebrations—"Republic Service, Tungo sa Ganap na Kalayaan at Kaunlaran"—is a clarion call for all stakeholders to renew and to reinvigorate collective efforts toward nation building, social transformation, and economic development.

"This year's celebrations recall to us our national history's greatest lesson: that whenever we Filipinos act with common purpose and a unity of vision, we are able to achieve great things," he said. - GMANews.TV

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