Skip to main content

Celebration of Courage

  


The Day of Valour, also known as the Araw ng Kagitingan, commemorates the Filipino and American soldiers who stood up against Japanese forces during World War II. The story of the Fall of Bataan remains to be a devastating tale. But unlike The Shining or American Psycho, this is not a story ripped off of fiction books. It is a tragedy engraved in the dark pages of our history. It falls on April 9.

On 9 April 1942, Luzon Force, Bataan commander Major General Edward P King, Jr, surrendered more than 76,000 of his starving and disease-ridden troops (64,000 Filipinos and 12,000 Americans) to Japan. As captives, the soldiers were forced to endure the infamous 140-kilometre Bataan Death March to Camp O'Donnell in Capas, Tarlac. Along the way, thousands died due to famine, heat prostration, untreated wounds, and wanton or execution-style murder. Historians believe that only 54,000 of the 76,000 prisoners were able to reach Camp O'Donnell. The exact number of deaths and escapees was difficult to assess. Under Republic Act 3022, the Day of Valour was officially a Filipino holiday, passed by Congress in 1961.

It is important to celebrate Araw ng Kagitingan and the Philippine Veteran's week because it serves as a tribute to all Filipino heroes who fought and died for the country's freedom and liberty.  The celebration is yearly held at Corregidor Island to traditionally observe and honor the Philippine heroes, patriots, martyrs and defenders. We must remember that Araw ng Kagitingan is more than just a holiday, it is a celebration of courage.

https://ph.asiatatler.com/life/heres-everything-that-happened-on-araw-ng-kagitingan

https://www.8list.ph/araw-ng-kagitingan-is-more-than-just-a-holiday-its-a-celebration-of-courage/

 

Comments

  1. RobellMay 22, 2021 at 11:23 AM

    Hello Grace, This blog is so informative about the Day of Valour. I loved how you simplified this topic yet made it meaningful. Great Job!

    ReplyDelete
  2. KhrissieMay 23, 2021 at 12:25 PM

    I love how you highlighted "Araw ng Kagitingan". I learned a lot about this blog post of yours. Keep up the good work.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Action!

  Earth is supposed to be the safest place to live with for us humans but not anymore now. Pollution, floods, erosion, global warming, climate change and many to mention are just some of the biggest problems our world is facing today. We are aware of these issues but people couldn’t stop doing the things that causes the issues. Every day we produce tons of Garbage waste and throw it anywhere recklessly. Doing illegal things like deforestation suffocates nature. Saving our earth and its environment becomes highly important as it provides us food and water to sustain life. Our well-being solely depends on this planet it gives food and water to all living things to it is our responsibility to take care of it. We have the responsibility to take care of it and not the opposite because we are the stewards of God’s creation. There’s no excuse for doing illegal things that could make the ecosystem suffer. Instead of doing that, why not do things that’ll restore the ecosystem? There are m...
Post a Comment
Read more

Festival of the Arts

  The Viva Vigan Festival of Arts is celebrated during the first week of the month of May. Binatbatan Festival traces its roots from the abel weaving industry of Vigan which has been in existence even before the Spaniards came to colonize the Philippines. It comes from the word “batbat”, a pair of bamboo stick used to separate cotton pods that come from a tall tree called kapas sanglay. The word "kapas" from kapas sanglay means "cotton" in Ilocano.                 Binatbatan dancing is connected to Vigan’s abel Iloco craft. The dance depicts how cotton pods are beaten with bamboo sticks to release the cotton fluff called batbat from its seed. This festival was started in 2002 to showcase this traditional weaving craft that is said to predate the arrival of the Spaniards. Wearing clothes made from abel Iloko, a woven fabric endemic in the Ilocos Region, Binatbatan Festival is not merely just a festival. It ...
2 comments
Read more