MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Leni Robredo on Tuesday led the commemoration rite of the 77th Araw ng Kagitingan or Day of Valor in Bataan.
Robredo personally went to Mt. Samat National Shrine in Pilar, Bataan to remember the historic fall of Bataan and offered wreath to the fallen heroes.
Aside from Robredo Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año, Japanese Ambassador Koji Haneda and US Department Chief of Mission John Law also attended the commemoration of Araw ng Kagitingan.
In her Day of Valor message, Robredo praised and recognized the Bataan heroes’ bravery and urged the Filipinos to emulate that courage at present time.
“Ganitong katapangan ang hinihingi sa atin ng panahong ito, kung kailan napapaligiran tayo ng ibang uri ng kalaban. Matagal nang natapos ang digmaan, ngunit patuloy ang pagdurusa ng ating bayan, kaya dapat patuloy ang laban para sa isang mas magandang kinabukasan para sa lahat,” Robredo said.
(This is the bravery that we are asking at this time, when we are being surrounded by our various enemies. The war has long ended but our nation continues to experience hardship, that’s why we need to continue the fight for a better future for everyone)
“Tulad ng isang katagang binigkas ng isa sa magigiting na anak ng ating bayan (Just like the famous line spoken by one of our heroes), ‘Bataan has fallen, but the spirit that made it stand—a beacon to all the liberty-loving peoples of the world—cannot fall!’” she concluded.
Third Lieutenant Normando Ildefonso Reyes declared Bataan’s fall on April 9, 1972, more than four months after the continuous battle of the Filipino and American soldiers against the Japanese force.