Ising Monument eyed as nat’l military shrine

CARMEN, Davao del Norte — Known as the battleground of the Japanese Army and Filipino guerrillas in this province during World War II, the Battle of Ising monument may well take its place among the Philippines’ national military shrines soon.

Carmen Mayor Virginia Perandos expressed this optimism as speaker in the celebration of the country’s 120th Independence Day on Tuesday.

“The Battle of Ising was recognized as one of the fiercest and bloodi- est battles against the Japanese Imperial Forces in Mindanao, playing a crucial role in the eventual surrender of the enemy forces,” Perandos said before the crowd of municipal officials, barangay officials, officials of national line agencies based in Davao del Norte, and soldiers and police officers.

Perandos said the Philippine Veterans Association Office (PVAO) has proposed to transform the spot into a national military shrine

to make it “more respectable and solemn, worthy of gallant recollection of our Mindanao heroes and source of national pride.”

The shrine also known as the Veterans’ Memorial Shrine is located along the highway in Barangay Ising, adjacent to the Carmen Public Transport Terminal. Surrounded by an iron-grilled fence, the area is enclosed with an obelisk and an old artillery gun.

Perandos said the municipal government was helping PVAO by providing the relevant data needed for the monument’s elevation into a national shrine.

She described the shrine as “sacred,” saying the spot was the battlefield “where our Filipino guerrillas displayed courage and emerged victorious in their fight against the invaders.”

She wanted the Battle of Ising retold among all Carmenians and Dabaonons, especially the youth and children, to be reminded of the heroism displayed by those who fought for freedom during the Japanese invasion of the country, she added.