Something different to do this summer:
March for a war veteran
HERE'S something different and nationalistic to do this summer: March for a veteran.
"March for a Veteran" is the theme of the 2nd Annual Capas Freedom March, where the participants will be asked to carry a placard that says "In Memory of (name of adopted veteran)" while they march.
The veterans honored by the event are the 65,000 World War II Filipino and American troops who were captured after Bataan fell and were forced to march 88 kilometers from Mariveles, Bataan to San Fernando, Pampanga, then taken by rail to Capas, Tarlac where they walked another 13 kilometers to Camp O' Donnell which became their concentration camp.
During the long and excruciating march, the prisoners were starved and tortured, kicked or beaten. Some 10,000 prisoners fell and died along the way.
A joint project of AAP Travel, a division of the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP) and the Department of National Defense (DND), Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (DND/PVAO), Department of Tourism (DOT,) the Province of Tarlac and the Municipali- ty of Capas, the 2nd Capas Freedom March will reprise the first one held in 2015 that attracted thousands of participants, led by former President Fidel V. Ramos.
Filipino and American soldiers from various military groups and civilians from national government agencies, local government units, NGOs, schools, service organizations and corporations marched, united as one in commemorating the sacrifice of the Bataan Death March heroes with the end in view of promoting peace and freedom.
AAP president Gus Lagman said that the annual freedom march is in line with the national auto club's objective to promote domestic tourism and disseminate lessons learned from our past by making historic events and places a destination.
Together with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Sons and Daughters of Bataan, and the Women Auxiliary Group, AAP Travel head Mina Gabor encouraged everyone to join the 2nd Annual Capas Freedom March on April 11, Monday, which starts at the Bataan Death March Memorial Shrine in Capas, Tarlac and ends at the Capas Monument Shrine on the same day.
The Capas Freedom March is now officially part of the DND's weeklong celebration of Araw ng Kagitingan, PVAO administrator Lt. Gen. Ernesto Carolina said. "This event mainly aims to make an impact on the youth that the freedom we all enjoy is partly the result of the long, arduous ordeal which our Bataan Death March veterans endured. In the process, the value of nationalism will be instilled in the younger generation and generations to come."
The 2nd Capas Freedom March will also raise funds for the production of a miniature diorama of the Capas Concentration Camp that will be the centerpiece of the Capas Memorial Shrine Museum.
Mina Gabor invited everyone to participate in the AAP-led event-themed as "March for a Veteran"-that is "more meaningful, engaging and memorable by having each participant march to honor a veteran of his or her choice, whether this veteran is living or dead."
It makes the freedom march more significant because the casualty of any war is to have one's service be forgotten.
The registration fees are as follows: public school rate P100; private school rate P150; senior citizens rate P200; individual rate P300; corporate group with a minimum of 20 persons P250 each and the foreign delegate rate is USD 120. Included in the registration fee are military dogtag and bib.
Assembly time on April 11 at the Bataan Death March Memorial Shrine in Tarlac starts at 3 a.m., registration ends at 4:45 a.m. and gun start is at 5 a.m. Participants will be entitled to join ancillary activities such as a film showing and historical seminar.
For more information and sponsorship opportunities at the 2016 Capas Freedom March, email info@capasfreedommarch.com or call AAP Travel at (02) 551-0014, (0905) 4876855 or (0928) 5074288 and ask for Michael Quitorio.