|
By Sherma E. Benosa
 |
 |
|
Dambana
ng Kagitingan, a
fitting memorial to
the heroism of
the Filipino
and American
soldiers who fought
and died side
by side in the historic Battle
of Bataan. Photos by
Sherma E. Benosa
|
When we look at Bataan through the lens of history, we think of its
fall on that sad day of April 9, 1942, when more than 70,000
Filipino and American soldiers surrendered to the Japanese forces
after prolonged battles. Then, we think of the cruel Death March,
where the same soldiers were forced to march more than a hundred
kilometers from Mariveles, Bataan to Capas, Tarlac —or more aptly
to a huge number of them—to their deaths.
Defeat might have befallen our soldiers that
day. But history tells us that three years after our historic fall,
our country reclaimed victory. And more than two decades later, in
1970, a tall and proud structure rose in that very place where our
soldiers fell—the Dambana ng Kagitingan (The Shrine of Valor).
Standing mightily at the summit of Mount Samat
555 meters above sea level, the Dambana ng Kagitingan is a fitting
memorial to those young men and women who took up arms against the
invading Japanese forces. And, in this present day when the
realities of what took place in that historic battle are now just
part of the lessons we learn from the pages of our history books,
the shrine also stands as an apt reminder that six decades ago,
fierce battles were fought and thousands of lives were sacrificed to
defend our freedom.
The Shrine
More popularly known as the Bataan Shrine, the
Dambana ng Kagitingan, designed by Lorenzo del Castillo and
landscaped by Dolly Quimbo-Perez, is composed of a giant cross and a
colonnade. Featuring an altar, a museum, and an esplanade, the
colonnade is surrounded with historical depictions, including a
stained glass mural by Cenon Rivera (design) and Vetrate D’arte
Giuliani (execution); sculptural inscriptions and murals of the
Battle of Bataan by National Artist Napoleon Abueva; bronze
insignias of USAFFE Division Units by Talleres de Maximo Vicente,
Leonides Valdez, and Angel Sampra and Sons; and bronze urns
symbolizing eternal flame.
The Memorial Cross, a 92-meter marble, steel,
and concrete structure, is composed of an elevator and a
thirty-meter long viewing gallery (the arms), from where tourists
can have a breathtaking view of the sprawling Bataan Peninsula, Corregidor
Island, and Manila Bay. Its exterior, from the base up to about 11
meters, is capped with sculptural bas reliefs depicting significant
battles and historical events, also by Abueva.
The Battle of Bataan in perspective
The significance of Bataan to World War II is
better appreciated if we understand the overall war plan of the
Japanese, and if we look at what the historic battle accomplished
despite its eventual fall.
The Japanese intended to strike Indonesia and
Malaysia, then territories of the Dutch and the British, to secure
their natural resources. To accomplish this, they had to immobilize
the American Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and cut off US
communication lines in the Pacific by attacking the Philippines.
The Japanese accomplished the first objective
rather quickly. The second was not. At the time the Japanese were
readying their attack, the Filipino soldiers were being trained
principally for when they gain national independence and, secondly,
to prepare for possible invasion by the Japanese, which seemed
unlikely at the time. It was peace time in the Far East. Although
there was a great war in Europe, one in which the United States was
among the major players; and there was another closer to home, in
China, which involved the Japanese; both wars seemed far off.
The American soldiers and the Filipinos were
therefore caught halfway prepared for battle when the Japanese
launched their attacks in different parts of the country. But while
the allied forces were not ready for war—they were not yet fully
armed and many of the Filipino soldiers were fresh recruits and thus
not yet fully trained—they staged a strong resistance against the
Japanese invaders. Lasting for three months, that battle is now
known as the Battle of Bataan.
The Bataan resistance may have ended in tragic
surrender, but without this last stand, it would have been easy for
the Japanese to seize all of the US bases in the Pacific. The length
with which the allies fought the invaders upset the Japanese war
timetable and bought precious time for the United States to
reinforce its military strength. It was only when it was apparent
that no reinforcement was about to come (because the fleet at Pearl
Harbor were paralyzed and the Philippines was isolated) that the
allied forces—outnumbered, out-armed, and many of them already
emaciated, starving, and very sick—surrendered. It was only then
that Bataan fell.
The end of the long battle
World War II lasted only for four years in the
Pacific theater. But in this war, the Filipinos suffered unthinkable
forms of atrocity the memory of which would last them a lifetime. As
though that wasn’t enough, the Filipino war veterans again had to
endure another battle, and a much longer one at that. This time, in
the form of delayed recognition and compensation for their heroic
deeds at the battles of Bataan and Corregidor, in a war that
wasn’t theirs to begin with, but which they were dragged into.
It has been more than 60 years. The Philippines
has long since gained its independence from both the Japanese (1945)
and the United States (1946). Several Philippine and US Presidents
had come and gone. Many of the war veterans have long since died.
Like the battles they fought, their battle for recognition seemed
doomed to fall. But unlike in 1942, this time, our veterans are not
prepared to surrender.
And with the signing of the $198 million
one-time compensation for surviving Filipino war veterans in
February 2009, 67 years since the Fall of Bataan, the long battle
for recognition has finally come to an end. And with it, the Dambana
ng Kagitingan stands taller and prouder than ever.
Bataan—and yes, Corregidor—have again risen.
|
