Today, April 9 is a public holiday in the Philippines, which is also observed by the Philippine government offices around the world. It is well known as Day of Valour/Valor, Araw ng Kagitingan, Bataan Day or Bataan and Corregidor Day.

The day commemorates the fall of Bataan during World War II. It pays tribute to the nearly 80,000 Filipino and American soldiers who undertook the Bataan Death March, and part of the journey some were loaded on trains.

The Bataan Death March was the forcible transfer by the Imperial Japanese Army of the imprisoned soldiers from Bagac/Mariveles, Bataan to San Fernando, Pampanga. The transfer began on April 9, 1942, after the three-month Battle of Bataan. The total distance marched from Mariveles to San Fernando and from the Capas Train Station to Camp O'Donnell is variously reported by differing sources as between 60 and 69.6 miles (96.6 and 112.0 km).

Differing sources also report widely differing prisoner of war casualties prior to reaching Camp O'Donnell: from 5,000 to 18,000 Filipino deaths and 500 to 650 American deaths during the march. The march was characterised by severe physical abuse and wanton killings. After the war, the Japanese commander, General Masaharu Homma and two of his officers were tried in United States military commissions on charges of failing to prevent their subordinates from committing war crimes.

History of the Observance of Bataan Day

Wikipedia shares the history of the observance of the establishment of the commemoration of Bataan Day.

"In April 1961, Congress passed Republic Act 3022 declaring April 9 of every year as "Bataan Day".In June 1987, Executive Order 203 revised all national holidays in the Philippines, referring to the April 9 holiday as "Araw ng Kagitingan (Bataan and Corregidor Day)".

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)".

In 2007, Congress passed Republic Act No. 9492 putting into law the "Holiday Economics" policy of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; this put the observance of each holiday, with the exception of New Year's Day and Christmas, 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)". Starting with the administration of President Benigno Aquino III, all 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".

In 2010, Presidential Proclamation No. 84 revised the holidays, referring to the April 9 holiday as "Araw ng Kagitingan". All presidential proclamations since 2010 have called the holiday "Araw ng Kagitingan", including the latest proclamation in 2020 that set the holidays for 2021."

Not to be forgotten are the nurses who helped treat the sick and injured. The Angels of Bataan were the members of the United States Army Nurse Corps and the United States Navy Nurse Corps who were stationed in the Philippines at the outset of the Pacific War and served during the Battle of the Philippines (1941–42).

When Bataan and Corregidor fell, 11 Navy nurses, 66 army nurses, and 1 nurse-anesthetist were captured and imprisoned in and around Manila.They continued to serve as a nursing unit while prisoners of war. After years of hardship, they were finally liberated in February 1945.

Books on Bataan Death March

A quick search on the internet, yielded a long list of books written about Bataan Day or Bataan Death March.  Here are few examples of the many books written about the historical event:

   

 

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