Marking liberation
by
Prof. Bernard Karganilla
http://www.malaya.com.ph/feb22/edkarga.htm
'The
triumph of the Filipinos during WWII is embodied by the veterans
who have sustained their families and their nation with their
principle of self-reliance.'
FEBRUARY is not only the month of love but also the month
of freedom.
Many
local government units of the National Capital Region have
been regularly celebrating a day of the first week of the
second month of the year as "Araw ng Kalayaan." Muntinlupa, for example, marks February 4 as a day of liberation.
This
is different from Independence Day (June 12), which commemorates
the official unveiling of the Philippine National Flag, the
first public playing of the Philippine National Anthem and
the Kawit Proclamation of 1898. This day (June 12) is a national
holiday and it refers to events of the Revolutionary War of
Independence against Spanish colonialism. In contrast, the
February liberation days of Metro Manila salute the heroism
of the Filipino guerrillas of the Second World War who were
instrumental in freeing their hometowns from the fascist Japanese
Occupation.
In
the case of the capital city, the 59th anniversary of the
Battle for Manila was commemorated with the usual program
and a new marker. The English version encapsulates the conventional
view, as follows.
"Late
in the afternoon of February 3, 1945 two groups of the flying
column of the 1st Cavalry Division, including the attached
44th Tank Battalion, entered Manila, with the first group
taking possession of Malacañang Palace and the second
group liberating the American and other Allied civilian internees
at the University of Santo Tomas. They were followed by the
37th Infantry Division, which rescued Allied civilian internees
and prisoners of war at Bilibid Prison. From the south the
11th Airborne Division closed in on Manila. The Japanese imperial
forces in Intramuros were annihilated by February 24. This
marker was installed pursuant to Board Resolution No. 2, s.
1994, of the National Historical Institute."
The
Filipino marker, one is happy to cite, recognizes at last
the pivotal role of the Filipino guerrillas, particularly
the Hunters-ROTC, in the liberation of Manila. The first paragraph
of the marker states that the Filipinos, possessing the spirit
of patriotism, have a long history of defending their liberty
from the invasive foreigners. The second paragraph acknowledges
that this glorious history includes the guerrilla movement
of WWII that counted among its ranks the Hunters-ROTC. The
third paragraph introduces the Hunters-ROTC, which was mustered
by Miguel Ver and led to victory by Eleuterio Adevoso. Then
there was Hermenigildo H. Atienza, a former councilor of Manila,
who was inducted as the military mayor of Greater Manila by
US Army General Douglas MacArthur at the moment of liberation.
The
fourth paragraph states that the courage displayed by the
Hunters-ROTC inspired many Filipinos to participate in the
people's struggle against the Japanese invaders. This signal
contribution is the rationale of the Manila marker.
The
new marker is found in the Freedom Triangle of the Manila
City Hall. It stands near the Heroes of Manila marker, which
is dedicated to those who left a noble legacy of honor generated
by their works of assistance to the unfortunate and the defenseless.
The capital's heroes, according to the dedication, safeguarded
the city's patrimony to the extent that they had to give up
their lives.
Manila
was joined this February by Parañaque where a new Veterans
Memorial Monument was inaugurated by the city government.
This project was the fruition of the long campaign of the
local VFP command (the 16th district under Engr. Orestes F.
Lopez). Outside of Metro Manila, there were similar celebrations
in Tagaytay and elsewhere in Cavite.
The
triumph of the Filipinos during WWII is embodied by the veterans
who have sustained their families and their nation with their
principle of self-reliance. Their heroic acts of the past
and continuing contributions to society are validated in and
through the 1987 Constitution of the Republic. Article XVI,
Section 7 states: "The State shall provide immediate
and adequate care, benefits, and other forms of assistance
to war veterans and veterans of military campaigns, their
surviving spouses and orphans. Funds shall be provided therefor
and due consideration shall be given them in the disposition
of agricultural lands of the public domain and, in appropriate
cases, in the utilization of natural resources."
Our
constitutional provisions are supplemented by the resolutions
of global organizations like the World Veterans Federation
whose 24th general assembly on November 30-December 5, 2003
in Johannesburg, South Africa called on the nations to respect
the equal rights of all veterans who fought under the same
flag in the same war. The military veterans of the world are "convinced that there should be no discrimination between
combatants serving under the same flag in the same war"
and are, therefore, requesting "all States of the world
to apply the same laws, pass new laws, and/or amend existing
ones to give recognition of services actually rendered or
to restore recognition of rights, without any immediate or
later modification."
These
resolutions are meant for rehabilitation and social affairs
and extend to widows, orphans and all dependents of the combatants
who became veterans.
These
veterans fought for us. It's time that we fight for them.
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