BASTION OF HEROISM: Dambana ng Kagitingan on Mount Samat.
MANILA, Philippines — Progressive groups believe that the Day of Valor should be a reminder not to rely on foreign powers, as ties with other countries — particularly the United States (US) — dragged the Philippines into the Second World War.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Kabataan party-list urged the government to stop romanticizing the Fall of Bataan and instead acknowledge the lessons behind the event.
“The Day of Valor is the only holiday where we romanticize the defeat and massacre of Filipinos. We should respect the sacrifices made by thousands of Filipino soldiers by acknowledging that such tragedies should not happen again and that the Philippines should not be a platform for a war between foreign powers,” Kabataan spokesperson and first nominee Renee Co said in Filipino.
Japan attacked us because we were the base of the US in Asia. But despite that, America surrendered Bataan and left Filipinos behind — before pretending to be our saviors years after. This is proof that we should not rely on foreign powers for our freedom,” she added.
According to Co, being a colony of the US during that time spelled doom for the Philippines — noting that allowing the US to influence the country again is a betrayal to the memories of heroes who stood up for freedom.
“Being a US colony only placed our security in precarious situations. That’s why what President Marcos did, to allow the US to use us for EDCA [Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement] sites, VFA [Visiting Forces Agreement] and the Balikatan Exercises so that we will be a war base in Asia-Pacific, is a disservice to the memories of Bataan’s heroes,” Co added.
“Military forces of China and the US should get out of the West Philippine Sea. Furthermore, we should not allow ourselves to be used by the US for its positioning for war and profiteering,” she said.
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), meanwhile, said that both US and Japan — the Philippines’ former colonizers — are trying to make Filipinos believe that there are no ulterior motives in their involvement with local security exercises.
“On April 9, the nation commemorates the fall of Bataan in 1942 after Japan invaded the Philippines. On April 21, Japanese forces will return as official participants of the Balikatan exercises. Both the US and Japan, our former colonizers, want us to believe that they have no ulterior motives in bringing their warships and bombs in our land other than to play some war games and strengthen military cooperation,” Bayan said in a separate statement.
“Our protest on ‘Araw ng Kagitingan’ is a reminder that we should learn from history and that we should resist the meddling of foreign powers, especially those who committed brutal acts of colonization in our country,” he added.
During the Second World War, the Philippines — which was under American rule — was dragged into the war against the Japanese in the Pacific area. As the Japanese Imperial Army invaded Luzon, the joint forces of Filipino and American soldiers were consolidated by General Douglas MacArthur in Bataan to make a last stand.
Bataan eventually fell exactly 83 years ago, on April 9, 1942. What followed was Japanese soldiers forcing over 70,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war (POWs) to make an excruciating trip on foot from Mariveles, Bataan to San Fernando, Pampanga, in what is now known as the Death March.
Thousands of POWs died from starvation, dehydration, disease, and execution along the way, with only about 54,000 of the 76,000 prisoners reaching the destination.
The day was originally known as Bataan Day or Corregidor Day and was officially recognized through Republic Act No. 3022 in 1961 as Araw ng Kagitingan.
READ: April 9 declared regular holiday for Araw ng Kagitingan
For this year, the highlight will be the Araw ng Kagitingan ceremony at the Mount Samat National Shrine in Pilar, Bataan, where Marcos will lead the rites, including a wreath-laying at the Dambana ng Kagitingan and a keynote address reaffirming the government’s commitment to the welfare of veterans.