77th Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor)
ARAW ng Kagitingan commemorates the day in 1942 when Philippine and American armies were forced to surrender to the Japanese troops for lack of food, medicine, and ammunition, after months of intense battle on the Bataan Peninsula. The Japanese were unprepared for the large number of prisoners (nearly 80,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war). They forcibly transferred them by foot from Saysain Point, Bagac, Bataan, and Mariveles to Camp O’Donnel in Capas, Tarlac taking the San Fernando, Pampanga, route in what history refers to as the Death March. Many prisoners perished during the long march.
This year’s Araw ng Kagitingan theme, “Sakripisyo ng Beterano ay Gunitain, Gawing Tanglaw ng Kabataan Tungosa Kaunlaran,” underscores the sacrifices of our war veterans and urges our youth to draw inspiration from this selfless act of giving oneself so that they too can contribute to the advancement of this nation.
The annual Araw ng Kagitingan events usually feature a speech of the country’s president and key government officials, wreath laying at the Libingan ng mga Bayani and Mt. Samat in Bataan, tributes to war veterans and parades of war veterans (in large and small groups) in various cities and localities of the country. The Philippine Veterans Bank
(PVB), in cooperation with the local governments of Bataan, Pampanga, and Tarlac, and a group called Without Limits, in partnership with the Department of National Defense and the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, Capas Freedom March, staged its annual Freedom Trail and Ride for Valor to raise funds for the maintenance of over a hundred Death March markers and the restoration of key points located along the route from Mariveles, Bataan, to Capas, Tarlac. The PVB is also scheduled to stage a Bataan Run on April 14, which is a marathon of 10k and 5k for kids and the whole family. Meanwhile, the Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu hosted the screening of the Spyron AV Manila World War II documentaries entitled “Corregidor: The Road Back” and “Manila 1945: The Rest of the Story” last April 7 at the Filipino Community Center in Waipahu, also in commemoration of the 77thAraw ng Kagitingan.
Several laws and administrative/ executive orders had been issued in the past designating varying dates for the celebration of Bataan Day and/ or Araw ng Kagitingan. There was a time when Araw ng Kagitingan was observed on May 6 pursuant to Letter of Instruction No 1087 issued on November 26, 1980. On June 30, 1987, Executive Order No. 203, which provided a list of regular holidays and special days to be observed throughout the country and for other purposes declared April 9 as Araw ng Kagitingan (Bataan and Corregidor Day). On July 24, 2007, Republic Act No. 9492 designated the celebration of Araw ng Kagitingan (Bataan and Corregidor Day) on the Monday nearest April 9. Beginning 2011, by virtue of annual presidential proclamations, Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor or Bataan Day) has been observed on April 9.
Today, let us devote a moment of prayer for our fallen war heroes who sacrificed and offered their lives to gain the freedom, and democracy that we now enjoy. Let us honor them by living and safeguarding the principles, freedom and democracy that they fought so hard for, so that future generations could relish them.