His Excellency Ambassador Darryl Johnson
Honorable Mayor Lito Atienza
Guests, ladies and gentlemen

Four years ago today, a terrible tragedy struck the United States of America - terrorists, motivated by an ideology of hate, intolerance and violence - hit and brought to the ground the twin towers of New York City, mercilessly, taking with them the lives of thousands of innocent people, and bringing chaos and destruction to a well-loved city. The terrorist also hit the Pentagon in Washington DC. Fear struck the hearts of every American and every person in the civilized world. Terrorism was brought to the consciousness of the worlds, front and center stage like never before.

9/11 forever changed the world as we knew it, and the threat of terror has since become part of our reality.  The terrorists did not stop with America, and sowed its hate to the far corners of the globe - to Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia; to Indonesia and to our own shores in the Philippines.  But if  the terrorists thought that they could hold the world hostage to their will and cow it into submission, they thought wrong.

The terrorists did not count on the courage, the bravery, and the indomitability of those they thought they could intimidate and threaten; they did not count on the world community coming together, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, to bring a united front to the war on terror; they did not
envision the strength of the free world's resolve to protect its freedoms and defend its values against all that threaten to take these away.

Our coming here together this morning is yet another manifestation of that unity and common resolve.   All of us who value life and freedom have paid a very steep and painful price, some perhaps more steep and painful than others, to be reminded just how precious these are, and just how much we cannot  take these for granted. The thoughts and prayers of the Filipino nation are with all of those who have fallen victims to the scourge of terrorism.  On this day, we add our promise to all peace-loving nations and peoples, never to forget the lessons, and never to falter in the fight.   This much we owe to those who have sacrificed their lives, that they may not have died in vain; this much we owe to ourselves and to future generations, that we may better secure the peace and freedoms that we value, for all of humanity to share.  END