Today in Philippine History (Philatelic Edition Series 2):
October 20, 1944
When the liberation forces landed in Leyte on October 20, 1944, General Douglas MacArthur waded ashore and declared to the people of the Philippines that "I have returned."
On this historic occasion, Philippine President Sergio Osmeña delivered his message to the Filipinos "MY BELOVED PEOPLE: By the Grace of God, and by the honor of America, I am again with you. Happy as I am to be back on Philippine soil, I am sad that our late and beloved President Quezon is not here to witness the realization of the great cause to which he dedicated his life—the independence of the Philippines. I know, however, that you feel as I do, that he is here with us in spirit, to unite our people and to encourage us toward the achievement of the vital undertaking which lies ahead. General MacArthur and I have returned together to accomplish a common objective: to restore to our people peace and prosperity, freedom and happiness. We were enjoying these blessings of democracy under the benevolent guidance of the United States when the enemy wantonly attacked us, interrupting our steady progress toward complete nationhood. This enemy is still on Philippine soil. It is thus our immediate purpose to destroy his power and to expel him from our country..."
U.S. President Frankin Delano Roosevelt also gave his message to the people.
(Design, concept, stamps and research: Richard Allan B. Uy) All rights reserved
Photo credit: wikipedia.org
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment