Veterans office gives virtual tours of 10 military shrines on Day of Valor

The Mt. Samat Shrine of Valor in Bataan province is among the featured shrines that can be visited through a virtual tour on the website of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (pvao.gov.ph). (Photo by Greg Refraccion)

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO –– For this 79th Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor), one can look back through virtual tours of 10 military shrines.

The tours can be viewed from the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (pvao.gov.ph) webpage by going to memorial and archives and clicking on the links to the military shrines.

The featured tours are the Bantayog ng Kiangan in Ifugao, Dambana ng Kagitingan on Mt. Samat in Bataan, Capas National Shrine in Tarlac, Balantang Memorial Cemetery National Shrine in Jaro in Iloilo, USAFIP-NL Shrine in Bessang Pass, Ricarte National Shrine in Batac in Ilocos Norte, Balete Pass National Shrine in Nueva Vizcaya, Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB) in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City, Philippine-Korea Friendship Center inside LNMB and Corregidor Island.

Several of the online tours have been made available shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. These have increased to 10 sites and linked to social media platforms, according to Ernesto Carolina, PVAO administrator in a phone interview on Thursday.