COVID-19 forces cancellation of Araw ng Kagitingan rites
MANILA, Philippines — The government has cancelled this year’s celebration of Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) and other events for Philippine Veterans’ Week as COVID-19 continued to menace countries around the world, including the Philippines.
The events would be rescheduled after the lifting of the enhanced community quarantine now in place in the whole Luzon island, according to the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office in an advisory on Monday (April 6).
The Araw ng Kagitingan was scheduled on April 9 while the Philippine Veterans Week was set on April 3 to 7.
The decision was made “in line with the enhanced community quararntine and to ensure the safety of our veterans from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
But the PVAO urged the public to continue observing Araw ng Kagitingan, a national holiday, to pay tribute to Filipino and American heroes of Bataan province, where US and Philippine soldiers took their last stand against invading Japanese Imperial Army forces during World War II.
Veterans of the Second World War could be considered among the most vulnerable to COVID-19 as the elderly and those with preexisting health conditions had been found to have the highest infection and mortality rate among those infected by the virus that causes the disease.
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Edited by TSB
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