Day of Valor

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor CHERYL CRUZ Busines Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

Today we celebrate Araw ng Kagitingan, also known as Bataan Day, and we commemorate the bravery and sacrifice of thousands of Filipino soldiers, exemplified by the fall of Bataan and the ensuing death march during World War II.

On April 9, 1942, after months of fighting, General Edward P. King surrendered the Bataan command of the United States Forces in the Philippines (USFIP) consisting of 67,000 Filipinos, 1,000 Chinese-Filipinos and 11,796 Americans to the Japanese. These prisoners of war were then forced to endure the infamous 140 kilometer Bataan Death March where prisoners were randomly beaten and denied food and water resulting in the death of thousands from dehydration, heat exhaustion, untreated wounds and executions.

Only an estimated 54,000 of the 76,000 prisoners reached their destination and while the exact death toll is difficult to assess because thousands of captives were able to escape, estimates place the number of the dead to anywhere between 5,000 to 10,000 Filipino and 600-650 American prisoners of war.

While many of us will celebrate this holiday by going on excursions or spending time at the mall, let us take time to reflect upon this gruesome period during the war that reminds us of the of the courage, tenacity and willingness to sacrifice to the point of death of the Philippine and American forces. It is also a time for us to remember those brave Filipinos who continue to fight for the freedoms we enjoy and often take for granted today.

We are free because of the men and women who fought, bled, and even died for our sake, not only in the Bataan Death March, but even in the streets of our cities and in cornfields in Mindanao. The enemy may have evolved from the invading and cruel Japanese Army to strong arm dictators or unscrupulous terrorist groups, but the people who fight to keep us safe and free have always been there and we should remember them as we celebrate this holiday that focuses on the valor of the Filipino.*