President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. guaranteed that his administration would give importance, support and protection to the country’s modern heroes.

Marcos called health care workers, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), teachers, and athletes as among the country’s “present-day” heroes.

“Lahat po sila ay mga bayaning magsusulong sa atin tungo sa bagong Pilipinas (All of them will help make our country a ‘new’ Philippines),” he said in his weekly vlog uploaded on his official Facebook page on Saturday.

“Ang pangarap ko ay para sa ating mga bagong bayani. Ang pangarap ko ay mabigyan sila ng kaukulang importansya, suporta at proteksyon upang maisagawa pa nila at maipagpatuloy ang kanilang mga piniling misyon (My dream for our modern heroes is to give them the importance, support, and protection they need to enable them to continue fulfilling their missions),” he added.

Marcos said he would meet with OFWs in Indonesia and Singapore during his official visits to personally thank them for their significant contributions to the country.

He said he is “excited” to meet with overseas Filipinos in the two host countries, since he was unable to visit during the campaign because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“Magkikita-kita tayong muli. Malapit na. Ang ating mga OFW ay may hindi matatawarang kontribusyon sa ating lipunan, lalo na ngayong pandemya. Hindi biro ang sakripisyo at katatagan na ipinakita nila para ilaban ang kanilang hanapbuhay sa ibang bansa (We’ll see each other again. Soon. Our OFWs’ contributions are immeasurable, especially during the pandemic. They sacrificed and displayed toughness to continue working abroad),” Marcos said.

Marcos will meet with members of Filipino communities in Indonesia and Singapore on September 4 and 6, respectively.

Indonesia is home to about 8,000 Filipinos, while Singapore hosts over 200,000 overseas Filipinos.

Apart from the OFWs, Marcos also thanked medical front-liners and teachers for ensuring the safe resumption of face-to-face classes amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

He attributed the success of the reopening of schools nationwide to the hard work and sacrifices of health workers and teachers.

“Ito naman ay bunga ng kabayanihan ng ating mga guro, mga health worker at syempre, mga magulang. Excited na excited ang mga bata na makita ang kanilang mga kaklase muli. Higit dalawang taon na silang hindi nagkikita (These are the result of heroism of our teachers, health workers, and of course, the parents. The children are very excited to see their fellow students again since they did not see each other for two years),” Marcos said.

“Naging maganda ang preparasyon ng mga eskuwelahan, ang pag-implementa ng mga health protocol, ‘yung temperature check, paghugas ng kamay, pagpanatili ng pagsuot ng mask. Lahat iyan ay kasama na ngayon sa ginagampanang ng ating mga bayaning guro (The schools prepared well for the implemention of health protocols, which include temperature check, washing of hands, and wearing of face mask. That’s the additional work of our hero teachers),” he added.

He reminded everyone to continue observing the minimum public health standards, especially in crowded places, considering the continued prevalence of Covid-19.

Marcos also pledged that his administration would continue providing support to athletes to improve their skills.

“Ang ating mga atleta ay tinuturing na mga bayani iyan. Ang kanilang sakripisyo sa pag-ensayo, ang oras na ginugugol nila para mahasa ang kanilang kakayanan para lang makapagdala ng karangalan sa ating bansa. Kaya suportahan natin silang lahat (Our athletes are also our heroes because of their sacrifices to train and hone their skills to bring pride to our country. That’s why we have to support them),” he said.

Marcos stressed even ordinary Filipinos who demonstrate patriotism can be hailed as modern-day heroes.

“Lagi nating naririnig na ang kabayanihan ay matatagpuan sa bawat isa. Totoo po iyan. Bawat isang Pilipino ay may kakayanan at abilidad na may ipapamahagi sa kaniyang bayan (We always hear that heroism can be instilled in each of us. That’s true. Every Filipino has the competence and ability to contribute to the country),” Marcos said. (PNA)