Philippines
is rich in historical places and stories. There are numerous events that had
happened in the old times that declared a certain area a historical place. One
of the historical province is the Bataan where 75,000 filipino and american
troop were surrendered and forced to walk 65 miles to prison camp on April 9, 1942
that had happened during the second world war.
After
bombing the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, the
Japanese had started to invade the Philippines. Japanese army assaulted the
Philippines where they bombed airfields and bases and shipyards and harbours.
The capital of Philippines which is Manila, one of the best deep-water ports in
the pacific ocean was perfect for the Japanese to plan their assault on
Southern Pacific. The supreme commander of all allied forces in Pacific, Gen. Douglas
MacArthur repelled his 130,00 troops with the invasion by the Japanese. When
the Japanese were slowly reaching triumph, MacArthur decided to retreat to the
mountain ranges of Bataan Peninsula. After three-long months, the Filipino-American
armies had struggled with food supplies and were in lack of air support and
naval. Dengue fever, malaria and other disease were affected by the troop that
caused them to surrender on April 9, 1942.
The
surrender was then the triumph of the Japanese and the surrendered
Filipino-American army was forced to walk 65 miles from the southern end of
Bataan Peninsula which is in Mariveles to San Fernando.
During the
5-to-10 day march, the prisoners were violently beaten, shot, and beheaded.
Thousands of prisoners died during the march. From Mariveles to San Fernando, a
7-mile walk was added to Camp O’Donnell, it was a former training center of the
Philippine army which was used by the Japanese to intern the prisoners. Out of
75,000 prisoners, only 54,000 prisoners were able to reach the camp. 2,500
filipinos and 500 americans have faced death during the match and in Camp
O’Donnell, 26,000 filipinos and 1,500 americans lost their lives. However, in
1945, the Bataan Peninsula was freed by the American and Filipino armies.
To honor
the thousands of death of the Filipino and American armies that had died during
the world war II, every April 9 every year, the day of valor is celebrated by
the Filipinos. It is a remembrance and a day to reminisce the heroism and
sacrifices of these heroes during the world war II. In April 9, 1961, it was
declared as the day of Valor or “ Araw ng Kagitingan”. Filipinos has always
been known for their resiliency and their nationalism, it has always been the
motherland to defend and treasure.
REFERENCE:
Maggie Penman (2017). Ceremony In San Francisco Marks The 75th Anniversary Of The Bataan Death March. npr. org. https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2017/04/08/ap_17097637865846-066d13582f4dd448ee06efdcb8d7ab406ec68017-s1100-c50.jpg retrieved 04-25-2022
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