NATION MARKS ‘ARAW NG KAGITINGAN’

source: mb.com.ph

Manila, Philippines - THE nation marks “Araw ng Kagitingan” (Day of Valor) today, April 9, 2012, to commemorate the heroism and gallantry of Filipino soldiers who fought alongside American forces to defend Bataan in World War II. The theme of this year’s celebration of “Araw ng Kagitingan,” also known as “Bataan Day,” is “Veterans: Catalysts of Genuine and Lasting Change.” The focal point of the celebration is the “Dambana ng Kagitingan” shrine atop Mt. Samat in Bataan, a 92-meter marble, steel, and concrete Memorial Cross.

It was in Bataan where the Allied forces fought invading forces, upsetting their timetable and giving the Allies time to prepare for the long fight ahead. A total of 76,000 men – 67,000 Filipinos, 1,000 Chinese-Filipinos, and 11,796 Americans – led by Major General Edward “Ned” P. King Jr., then Commander of Luzon Force-Bataan, surrendered on April 9, 1942 to the Japanese Army, in what is now known as the “Fall of Bataan.”

The prisoners of war – soldiers belonging to the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) – were forced to endure the infamous Bataan March from Bataan to San Fernando, Pampanga, where they were transported by train to Camp O’Donnell, Tarlac. Thousands perished due to dehydration, heat stroke, starvation, and diseases. American and Filipino forces eventually retook the Bataan Peninsula on February 8, 1945.

On the day Bataan fell, the University of the Philippines late President Salvador P. Lopez broadcast this tribute on the Voice of Freedom radio: “Bataan has fallen. The world will long remember the epic struggle that Filipino and American soldiers put up in the jungle fastness and along the rugged coast of Bataan. They have stood up uncomplaining under the constant and grueling fire of the enemy for more than three months. Besieged on land and blocaded by sea, cut off from all sources of help in the Philippines and in America, the intrepid fighters have done all that human endurance could bear. Bataan has fallen, but the spirit that made it stand – a beacon to all the liberty-loving peoples of the world – cannot fall!”

On this historic occasion, we pay tribute to the country’s veterans, the Filipino and American soldiers who saw action in Bataan, as well as all Filipino heroes who fought valiantly in defense of freedom. May their ideals, principles, and sacrifice serve as an inspiration and guide for all of us.

Mabuhay ang Bayaning Pilipino! Mabuhay ang Beteranong Pilipino!

source: mb.com.ph