Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana encouraged Filipinos to emulate the patriotism of Filipino soldiers who fought against the Japanese during the World War II as the nation marked the 80th Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) on Saturday, April 9.
“Let us take to heart their feats as ordinary Filipinos who fought and rose to the occasion during the extraordinary times they live in,” Lorenzana said in a statement.
“May the patriotic flame that burned in their hearts also continue to burn bright in us and the future generations of Filipinos,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) commemorated the Day of Valor during a wreath-laying ceremony at Mount Samat National Shrine in Pilar, Bataan on Saturday.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra led the wreath-laying ceremony, joined by Koshikawa Kazuhiko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Embassy of Japan; and Heather Variava, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the United States.
AFP Northern Luzon Command commander Lt. Gen. Ernesto Torres Jr. served as the military host.
On this day, some 75,000 Filipino and American troops were forced to walk for more than a hundred kilometers to the concentration camp in O’Donnell, Capas, Tarlac after the Fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942.
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