AT A GLANCE
This year's observance theme is "Karangalan, Katungkulan, Kabayanihan."
The National Heroes Day is one of the oldest public holidays in the Philippines. The celebration started during the American Colonial Period and became a holiday through Republic Act (RA) No. 3827 on Oct. 28, 1931.
Laws about the holiday did not specify any hero for Filipinos to celebrate, allowing the public to commemorate the bravery of anyone who has "braved death or persecution for home, nation, justice, and freedom."
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will lead the country in remembering the country's fallen heroes as Filipinos mark National Heroes Day on Aug. 28.
Marcos will lead the National Heroes Day rites at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani in Fort Andres Bonifacio in Taguig City.
The event will take place on Monday morning with Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff General Romeo Brawner joining the President.
Other expected guests are Dr. Emmanuel Franco Calairo, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) chairperson, and Taguig City Mayor Maria Laarni Cayetano.
During National Heroes Day, the country is expected to pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for its liberation from foreign entities. Last year, President Marcos paid tribute to the countless Filipinos "of extraordinary courage and valor" who fought and sacrificed to establish and preserve the nation.
He also encouraged the citizenry to "never forget" them as their legacy and heroism live on in the hearts of medical professionals, civil servants, uniformed personnel, and ordinary citizens.
Marcos likewise honored modern-day heroes such as farmers, teachers, police, military, barangay officials, community leaders, ecological warriors, healthcare workers, overseas Filipino workers, and those working in other sectors.
This year's observance theme is "Karangalan, Katungkulan, Kabayanihan."
When did it start?
The National Heroes Day is one of the oldest public holidays in the Philippines. The celebration started during the American Colonial Period and became a holiday through Republic Act (RA) No. 3827 on Oct. 28, 1931.
Initially, the law declared the last Sunday of August of every year an official national holiday until the late President Jose P. Laurel signed Executive Order No. 20 on March 20, 1942, which set the National Heroes Day on the 30th of November, coinciding with the celebration of Bonifacio Day that started in 1921.
In 1952, the late President Elpidio Quirino reverted the date of National Heroes Day to the last Sunday of August. This continued until former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law RA 9492, which moved the holiday to the last Monday of August. This was to promote "Holiday Economics," which aimed to reduce work disruptions and allow extended weekends to boost domestic tourism.
What makes a hero?
According to the Official Gazette, the laws about the holiday did not specify any hero for Filipinos to celebrate. This allowed the public to commemorate the bravery of anyone who has "braved death or persecution for home, nation, justice, and freedom."
To student writer Aaron Sabile, 21, a hero can be defined as someone who has morals and is compassionate and hardworking.
"A hero can be someone who has no extraordinary powers but has the power of moral code or dignity and knows what is right from wrong," he said.
"Someone who understands compassion, hard work, and belongingness," he added.
For 20-year-old student paper editor-in-chief Hannah Leonardo, a hero explores new things to improve any situation.
"I believe that what truly makes someone a hero is a willingness to learn or explore something new to know what change they need to create— even if discomfort is part of the process," she said.
"Having that mindset proves to me that people are doing something not for the sake of being praised by others but because of their genuine regard for their surroundings," she added.
Both students also agreed that it is important for Filipinos to continue celebrating National Heroes Day.
"Everyone loves heroes, and National Heroes Day is a great way to honor and commemorate those heroes who established the country's basis of independence and made the world a better place," Sabile said.
"Such commemoration can help us remember and not turn the things our heroes fought for in vain— I believe that having the consciousness about our heroes from the past would help us envision the future they once believed in and push us to start actions that would inform change," Leonardo shared.
