“I am one with the entire Filipino nation in celebrating this year’s National Indigenous Peoples Day and the International Day of Worlds Indigenous Peoples.

It is a known fact that our country is blessed with natural resources and great beauty, yet the real splendour of our great nation lies in our people.

The numerous ethnic and cultural communities that we have, each possessing their own robust and colourful traditions, every ritual, every chant, every story woven across the generation.

These are all the ridges and lines that form our unique fingerprint as a Filipino and this day serves as a great reminder of our commitment to cherish, uphold, and protect that identity.

I thus enjoin everyone to take part in this desire to uplift each person and community in our archipelago, especially our Indigenous Peoples, the first Filipinos, our ‘Katutubos’, who have been integral to the preservation in passing on of our traditional knowledge and values.

May this year’s festivities make more people around the world learn about our Indigenous Peoples and may spark a real sense of pride and ownership in these respective cultures. May we all have a meaningful celebration. Mabuhay po tayong lahat!”