Day Of Valor

        When is the Day of Valor? Called 'Araw ng Kagitingan' in Filipino, this official regular nationwide holiday is celebrated annually on April 9th. The holiday may also be known as 'Bataan Day' or 'Bataan and Corregidor Day'. It commemorates the fall of the Bataan peninsula during the second world war. 

        "Araw ng Kagitingan" is an occasion to honor not only the Filipino war veterans who died or served the country but also to remember those who rendered honorable military service in defending the country in times of war or peace. This is to gratefully acknowledge their contributions in preserving our sovereignty and defending our national security. 

        At dawn on April 9th 1942, Major General King, of the United States Army was forced to surrender his forces of over 76,000 Filipino, Chinese and American soldiers to the Japanese. Unprepared for the number of prisoners, the Japanese decided to walk the prisoners 150km to a prison camp in San Fernando. Over 20,000 prisoners died on this march either through starvation, exhaustion or at the hands of the Japanese. The trek became infamous as the 'Bataan Death March'. 

        To sum it all up, "Araw ng Kagitingan" is an important event that we Filipinos celebrates every year. This is an important event not just because it commemorates the fall of the Bataan peninsula but also to honor our Filipino heroes who fought in defending our country in times of war or peace. 

References: https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/philippines/araw-ng-kagitingan

https://nhcp.gov.ph/araw-ng-kagitingan-in-the-time-of-covid-19/

Photos retrieved in: https://images.app.goo.gl/fEiu9uBv8ZNLozzq6

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