Bataan to mark 262nd anniversary

BALANGA CITY, BATAAN – The province. known for being one of the great battle sites during World War II, will celebrate its 262nd founding anniversary on January 9 to 11.

Jointly filed by 1st District Representative Geraldine Roman and 2nd District Representative Jose Enrique Garcia III, HB 3718 was approved by the House of Representatives and was enacted into law on November 9 when President Duterte signed the Republic Act 11138.

RA 11138 is “An Act Declaring January 11 of Every Year a Special Non-Working Holiday in the Province of Bataan in Commemoration of its Founding Anniversary to be known as Bataan Foundation Day.”

Known by world historians as the critical area where Filipino and American soldiers fought together against the Japanese military, Bataan has certainly changed the course of history in the Pacific. The province was also a part of Pampanga during the early Spanish colonial period and has been declared as a separate province on January 11, 1757.

The decree separating the province of Bataan from Pampanga was signed by then Gubernador General Pedro Manuel De Arandia.

According to 1Bataan news blogsite, published accounts stated that before Bataan became a province, the region was divided into two parts, the Corregimiento de Mariveles and the Province of Pampanga. The towns of Mariveles, Bagac, Morong and Maragondon, Cavite comprised the Corregimiento de Mariveles under the jurisdiction of the Recollect Order of the Roman Catholic Church.

The three-day revelry will be filled with various activities like the Choral and Folk Dance competition on January 9 at the Bataan People’s Center. A Bataan Historical Symposium will also be held there on January 10, led by Dr. Cornelio Bascara.

Street dancers, colorful floats will be shown during the parade in Balanga City on January 11 at the Plaza Mayor De Ciudad De Balanga, including a performance by the Asian Philharmonic Orchestra with Concert Master Merjohn Lagaya at the Bataan People’s Center.