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| Photo by Jamila Estanislao |
The Day of Valor, officially known as Araw ng Kagitingan, is the day we commemorate as a nation the fall of Bataan to the Japanese Army during World War II.
On this day in 1942, the joint forces of Filipino and American soldiers led by Major General Edward P. King Jr. surrendered at Bataan against the orders of General Douglas MacArthur. 78,000 troops consisting of 66,000 Filipinos and 12,000 Americans were then taken captive by the reinforced Japanese Forces.
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| Photo from The National Guard |
Upon
surrender, the new prisoners of war were then condemned to walk around 65 miles
or more than 100 kilometers from the Bataan Peninsula to San Fernando,
Pampanga. This brutal happening would become known as the “Bataan Death March.”
Aside from
the excruciatingly long travel, the Death March earned its name because prior to
the fall of Bataan, the Filipino-American troops were already struck with
diseases, starvation, and other inhumane conditions which prompted their
surrender. These unfortunate conditions did not exempt them from what the
Japanese had in mind for them. The prisoners of war were grouped into hundreds
and then began their march.
During the
death march, Filipino and American soldiers would be kicked and beaten. The
sick would be carried by their fellow soldiers throughout the journey. For
those who would slow down and be left behind, the Japanese soldiers bayoneted
them to death. As the harsh treatment would become harsher as they near their destination, numerous corpses are left along the path. Upon reaching San
Fernando, they would be transported later to Capas, Tarlac. The Death March
lasted for around 5 days with each day being harsher than the day before.
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| Photo From National Museum of the United States Air Force |
Republic Act No. 3022, as passed by the Congress in 1961, proclaimed April 9 as Bataan Day. In 1987, Executive Order No. 203 renamed the holiday
into Araw ng Kagitingan. In 1966, Former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
ordered the construction of the Mt. Samat Shrine in Pilar, Bataan. The Shrine,
also known as Dambana ng Kagitingan, also has a museum that houses commemorative
items from the Death March and the Fall of Bataan.
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| Photo from Playing Tourist |
One of the 78,000 troops during the Bataan Death March was Jose Serrano, who is also one of the Filipino soldiers who survived and got to tell the tale. He recounts, "Everybody got sick. Nothing to eat. If (you) couldn't walk, they'd shoot you in the back, like a dog... Some got malaria, dysentery." He also recalls how at times, five sick people would be put in a grave together while still alive. Serrano tried to escape to a small island but was captured along with five other soldiers and was taken to a prison camp in Manila. Eventually, he also attempted another escape and made it into a jungle, joining a Filipino guerrilla unit. They kept the Japanese out by placing sharpened bamboo sticks in pits with dry grass over for Japanese soldiers to fall into. Serrano says, "The Japanese got too scared to go to different islands because they never would come back alive," he continues, "the brutal tactic was a response to brutality. Those captured by the Japanese would sometimes be forced to dig their own graves before being decapitated, shot, bayoneted or worse..." Serrano along with the guerrilla unit had to beg for food in villages to survive until liberation arrived in 1945.
Araw ng
Kagitingan 2023 is the 81st anniversary of the Bataan Fall. This year, the theme is “Kagitingan ng Mga Beterano, Pundasyon ng Nagkakaisang
Pilipino” which aims to remind us of not only remembering the sacrifices and courageous
deeds of Filipino soldiers but to use their heroic efforts in nation-building. Let
us not put to waste the valor which our heroes showed not only on the
battlefield but throughout our country’s history.
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| Photo by Malaya |
One way to
show our support to our veterans would be to partake in the Ride For Valor. This biking event is hosted by the Philippine Veterans Bank as a tribute to the Filipino soldiers of the Bataan Death March and World War II and as a fundraiser for the Filipino-American Memorial Endowment, an NGO that maintains the kilometer markers of the Bataan Death March. This non-competitive bike ride will start from Mariveles, Bataan all the
way to Capas, Tarlac. Its route would also include markers and landmarks
associated with the Death March.
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