THE SPEECH

Fight for Freedom and Honor
This address is also referred to as Bonifacio's proclamation in January 1897.


The valor that you have manifested in the fight against the Spanish enemy since the commencement of the revolution eminently proves that you are not disheartened by the signs of military preparations and imminent attacks by Polavieja's army which, in so short a time, has already shown sheer cowardice and slaves meanness of character in torturing and killing so many Filipino noncombatants. The burning of the children, the rape of the women whose honor and weakness were not even respected, the snuffing out of lives of the aged who could not move and of sucking infants-acts which would never have been done by honorable and brave men-call for immediate vengeance and punishment to the fullest extent.
In the fury of your struggle, some of you might die in the midst of battle, but this is an honor that will be a legacy to our race and to our progeny. Your death will infuse life into our country and will serve as a sweet remembrance to your sisters and brothers who will be left behind.
Bear in mind that the cause of our sacrifices is the realization of the dreamed-of liberty of our native land that will give us freedom and will vindicate the honor that, through slavery, was interred in the grave of incomparable oppression. Will you, perchance, be disheartened and your feeling visited by a sense of regret in dying for this cause?No! For there in your memory are painted the thousands upon thousands of lives snuffed out by the brutal hands of the Spaniards; the groans, the sighs and the sobs of those orphaned by cruelty; the picture of our brothers who were thrown into the horrible jails and suffering untold miseries; the interminable flow of the tears of those who were snatched form the sides of their children, wives, and aged parents by being exiled to far-off places; and the unjust murder of our beloved countrymen, Jose Rizal, have already opened a wound in our hearts that will never be healed. All this sufficient to set even the coldest blood afire and to launch us into a struggle against ignoble Spaniards who have caused us all these miseries and death.
And so, my brethren, prepare yourselves for the fight and rest assured that victory will be ours, for righteousness and the sanctity of duty are on our side. The enemy, that execrable foreigner who happened to come to these shores, is fighting only to victimize and dominate us in this our land.
In all this, and in order that the sacredness and honor of our country be made complete, in order that the whole world might witness the nobility of our character, let us not emulate our enemy in this detestable conduct of the war; let us not go to battle merely in the interest of killing, but rather in defense of the liberty of our country, and thus fighting cry out at the top of our voices: Mabuhay! LONG LIVE THE SOVEREIGN PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES!
(40 ELOCUTION PIECES FOR SPEECH TRAINING)