DAMBANA NG KAGITINGAN

Photo from: kwentuhero.multiply.com

On April 9, 1942, approximately 75,000 Filipino and United States soldiers, commanded by Major General Edward “Ned” P. King, Jr., formally surrendered to the Japanese army under Lt. General Masaharu Homma. Over the next few days, these prisoners of war were transferred to Camp O’Donnell in what would become the Bataan Death March.

To commemorate the gallantry of these troops, April 9 of every year was declared Araw ng Kagitingan. The Dambana ng Kagitingan (Shrine of Valor) was also built on top of Mount Samat in 1966 in memory of the soldiers who saw action during the Second World War. Read More: ivanhenares.com

Text and photos below were from:

http://www.boardinggate101.com/2016/05/shrine-of-valour.html

Also known as the Dambana ng Kagitingan, or Shrine of Valour, the monument was dedicated to the bravery and sacrifice done by the thousands of Filipino and American soldiers during World War II. Aside from the shrine, the soldiers were honored fowith a national holiday, every April 9th.

The monument is located near the summit of Mt. Samat, a parasitic cone of the nearby Marveles volcano. They were to hold the position for six months until reinforcements arrive from the US, and the bravery of the soldiers messed up the timetable of the Japanese forces invading the Philippines. The fortress island of Corregidor fell soon after the last stand in Samat.

The cross, made of steel, concrete and marble, is 92 meters high from the base, and Mt Samat itself is 555 meters above sea level, so if you climb to the viewing gallery you will be treated to a vista of the surrounding provinces and Manila Bay. Scattered around the ground are various artillery pieces and guns, point towards the sea, eternally guarding the summit.

The Colonnade itself is clad with marble, and covered with sculptures depicting scenes of bravery by the soldiers. They were made by Napoleon Abueva, a National Artist, who also created works such as the Nine Muses, installed in the University of the Philippines Faculty Center.

I was reading the narrative of the events during the war, which were set in marble slabs installed at each end of the collonade. The event led to the Fall of Bataan, causing the surrender of 78,000 Filipino and US troops to the Japanese Imperial Army. The prisoners of war were later forced to transfer to another camp, which became known as the Bataan Death March. About 10,000 of them died during this forced march.

At the end of the narrative is a tablet with an inscription that made me teary eyed, the last sentence of which reads, “Our mission is to remember.”