| Day of Valor | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Philippine PresidentBongbong Marcos offering wreath atMount Samat National Shrine inPilar,Bataan, on Day of Valor 2024 | |
| Official name | Araw ng Kagitingan |
| Also called |
|
| Observed by | Philippines (nationwide),United States (Maywood, Illinois) |
| Significance | Commemorates thefall of Bataan duringWorld War II |
| Date | April 9 |
| Next time | April 9, 2025 (2025-04-09) |
| Frequency | Annual |
| First time | April 9, 1961 (as Philippine holiday) |
TheDay of Valor, officially known asAraw ng Kagitingan, is anational observance in the Philippines that commemorates thefall of Bataan to Japanese troops duringWorld War II. The day is officially celebrated every April 9, the start of theBataan Death March, although the date was moved on several occasions to avoid it from coinciding with theobservance of the Holy Week in the country, especially theEaster Triduum andEaster Sunday, such as in 2004, 2009, 2020, and 2023.[1][2][3]
Due toBataan's significance in World War II, the holiday was officially known asBataan Day orCorregidor Day prior to the 2000s and is still known under this name by others. In the United States, the holiday is celebrated inMaywood, Illinois, where it is referred to by its old name.
At dawn on April 9, 1942, against the orders of GeneralsDouglas MacArthur andJonathan Wainwright, the commander of the Luzon Force,Bataan, Major GeneralEdward P. King, Jr., surrendered more than 76,000 starving and disease-ridden soldiers (64,000 Filipinos and 12,000 Americans) toJapanese troops.[4]
The majority of theseprisoners of war had their belongings confiscated before being forced to endure the infamous 140-kilometer (87 mi)Bataan Death March toCamp O'Donnell inCapas, Tarlac. En route, thousands died from dehydration, heat prostration, untreated wounds, andwanton execution while walking in deep dust over vehicle-brokenMacadam roads, and crammed into rail cars for transport to captivity.[5]
The few who were lucky enough to travel by truck toSan Fernando, Pampanga would still have to endure more than 25 miles (40 km) of additional marching. Prisoners were beaten randomly and often denied promised food and water. Those who fell behind were usually executed or left to die, with the sides of the roads becoming littered with dead bodies and those moaning for help.[6]
Only 54,000 of the 76,000 prisoners (66,000 Filipinos and 10,000 Americans) reached their destination;[7] the exact death toll is difficult to assess because thousands of captives were able to escape from their guards. Approximately 3,000 prisoners may have died during the march, and 25–30,000 more while in captivity.[7][8]
In April 1961, Philippine PresidentCarlos P. Garcia signed Republic Act No. 3022 into law, declaring April 9 of every year as "Bataan Day".[9]
In June 1987, Executive Order No. 203 revised all national holidays in the Philippines, referring to the April 9 holiday as "Araw ng Kagitingan (Bataan and Corregidor Day)".[10] Less than a month later, another executive order (No. 292) revised the holidays anew, again referring to the April 9 holiday as "Araw ng Kagitingan (Bataan and Corregidor Day)".[11]
In 2007,Congress passed Republic Act No. 9492, putting into law the "Holiday Economics" policy of PresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo; this put the observance of each holiday, with the exception ofNew Year's Day andChristmas, to the Monday nearest it. The order referred to the holiday celebrated on the Monday nearest April 9 as "Araw ng Kagitingan (Bataan and Corregidor Day)".[12] Starting in 2008, the holiday was called simply as "Araw ng Kagitingan", and was celebrated on the nearest Monday.[13] This practice was repeated in 2009.[14] In 2010, the holiday was still named as such, but was celebrated on April 9.[15]
Starting with the administration of PresidentBenigno Aquino III, celebrations of the holiday have been observed on April 9, instead of being moved to the nearest Monday, and the holiday has been called simply "Araw ng Kagitingan" since 2011.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27]
However, during the term of PresidentBongbong Marcos, April 10, 2023 was declared a special non-working holiday instead of April 9, by virtue of Proclamation No. 90.[28] The holiday was included in the "holiday economics", adjusting the observance of the holiday to the nearest Monday for a longer weekend, whileEaster Sunday would fall on April 9, 2023.[29]
TheUnited States Congress passed a joint resolution on April 8, 1954, declaring the next day, April 9, 1954, the 12th anniversary of the fall of Bataan, as "Bataan Day." The joint resolution also mentioned that Philippine PresidentRamon Magsaysay had earlier declared it to be such.[30]
On April 8, 1987, U.S. PresidentRonald Reagan, by virtue of Senate Joint Resolution 47 declared April 9, 1987, as "National Former POW Recognition Day".[31] PresidentJoe Biden continued the tradition, declaring April 9, 2021, as such.[32]
The observance usually is centered onMount Samat National Shrine inPilar,Bataan. It is usually attended by thePresident of the Philippines, theGovernor of Bataan, the ambassadors of the United States and Japan, and surviving veterans groups.
By 2021, there were only 2,952 defenders of Bataan who are still alive.[33]
In 2012, the 70th anniversary of the Fall of Bataan was commemorated atMount Samat Shrine inPilar,Bataan by some of the over 18,000 still-living Filipino veterans.
Then-incumbent PresidentBenigno S. Aquino III and former PresidentFidel V. Ramos attended the rites. Japanese ambassador to the Philippines Toshina Urabe expressed "deep apology and a deep sense of remorse to the tragedy", while the United States Deputy Chief of MissionLeslie A. Bassett (representing U.S. ambassadorHarry K. Thomas Jr.) said thattheir embassy has provided a total ofUS$220 million (over₱9 billion) to Filipino war veterans.[34]
InMaywood, Illinois, the second Sunday in September is remembered as Bataan Day.[35][36] Maywood providedIllinois National Guard soldiers of the192nd Tank Battalion who served on Bataan.
InHonolulu, Hawaii there is an annual commemoration at the National Cemetery of the Pacific.[citation needed]
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