Day of Valor

 


The Day of Valor, also known as Araw ng Kagitingan, honors the heroism of Filipinos and American soldiers during World War II when the Philippines was invaded by the Japanese. At dawn on April 9, 1942, Major General Edward P. King of the United States Army was forced to surrender over 76,000 Filipinos, Chinese, and American soldiers to the Japanese. The soldiers were forced to hike 90 miles (145 kilometers) to San Fernando's Camp O'Donnell. Thousands of inmates died from malnutrition, thirst, and illnesses before reaching the camp during the trek (also known as the Bataan Death March).

In the Philippines, Araw ng Kagitingan is a non-working holiday that falls on a long weekend. There are usually minor parades in the Philippines, but the main highlight of the Araw ng Kagitingan is when the country's president delivers a speech at the Mt Samat shrine in Bataan province to celebrate the heroism of Filipino and American troops during World War II.

Araw ng Kagitingan is often confused with National Heroes' Day. The former commemorates the Philippines' last stand before being conquered by the Japanese during World War II, while National Heroes' Day is observed on the last Monday of August to remember the Cry of Pugad Lawin, which sparked the Philippine revolution against Spanish colonizers in 1896.





Media Reference/s:

Jove Moya (2021) Retrieved from https://ph.asiatatler.com/life/heres-everything-that-happened-on-araw-ng-kagitingan  

Southern Luzon State University (2019) Retrieved from https://slsu.edu.ph/events/araw-ng-kagitingan/

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