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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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