MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday led the celebration of the Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) at the Mount Samat National Shrine in Bataan, saying the heroism displayed by soldiers who fought during World War II is still present among Filipinos today 81 years on.

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In his speech, Marcos said the same kind of heroism was seen among Filipinos who "rose to the challenge of facing an unseen enemy" during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The spirit of heroism is once again asked of us by our country, perhaps not in the grand acts displayed in the field of battle, but in the everyday challenges that we must face to defend ourselves, to defend our people, to defend our country," he said.

He thanked the Filipino war veterans who were present in the ceremony and those who died in Bataan during World War II for showing "the way, not necessarily an easy way, to make us the best citizens of our republic."

"We lost great men and women during that time, ending with the [Bataan] Death March. Our most important triumph, though, was that we kept on fighting and that we never lost hope," the President said.

"It has been said that it is inappropriate that we celebrate such loss, for although we lost the battle, the Fall of Bataan marked the beginning of the Filipinos' resurgence as a fighting force to defend and to take back the land of their forefathers," he added.

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United States Embassy Chargé d'Affaires Heather Variava and Japan Ambassador to Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa joined Marcos in honoring the fallen soldiers at the shrine.

Koshikawa said the Japanese people "feel deep remorse for our country's actions before and during the Second World War," and vowed that his country is determined to uphold rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific region.

He expressed opposition to "unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force," referring to China's actions in the East and South China Sea.

"We sincerely hope that issues in Taiwan will be resolved by dialogue, not force," the Japanese ambassador said, referring to China's military drills around Taiwan as a response to the meeting of the self-governed island's president Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

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"We cannot allow any military and economic power to undermine the very foundation of existing global order and plunge the world into conflict and chaos and tragedy," Koshikawa said.

For her part, Variava reiterated the US' commitment to its ties with the Philippines, describing the alliance between the two nations as "ironclad."

"Filipino World War II veterans shaped the history of both the Philippines and the United States. We all owe them an immeasurable debt of gratitude for their valor and sacrifice," she said.

She noted that the US continues to honor Filipino war veterans through its Congressional Gold Medal, one of the country's highest civilian honors.

"To all of the veterans and active-duty service members, thank you for your service," she said.

VETERANS' PENSIONS

Meanwhile, Marcos also said the government is looking for ways to strengthen the pension system for World War II veterans to make sure that they get their pensions properly.

The government would only explore other additional benefits for veterans when this problem is addressed, Marcos said.

"Itong mga problemang ito ay lilitaw 'yan. Kaya ang aming ginawa ay tiyakin muna na may sistema upang lahat ng ating beterano ay makatanggap ng kanilang tamang pensyon. Kapag naayos natin ito, saka na natin tingnan kung ano pa ang pwede nating ibigay lalo na sa World War II veterans," he said.

(These problems will surface. That's why we are making sure first that there's a system for our veterans to properly receive their pensions. When this is fixed, only then would we look for other additional benefits for our World War II veterans.)

The Day of Valor, commemorated every April 9, is a regular holiday in the Philippines to remember Filipino and American soldiers who took their last stand against Japanese forces in the Fall of Bataan at the height of World War II.

As this year's Day of Valor coincided with Easter Sunday, Marcos moved the holiday to April 10.

Historian Xiao Chua told ANC that Araw ng Kagitingan is historically significant for the country, as Filipino soldiers were the last in Southeast Asia to surrender to the Imperial Japanese Army at the time.

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