04/10/2016
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (4/9)- Local leaders along with members of the Filipino-American community gathered at the War Memorial Veterans Building, San Francisco in San Francisco, California for what was called a "Day fo Remembrance". Organizers with the Filipino Veterans Education Center promoted the event as,"We commemorate this historic anniversary of FALL of BATAAN Commemoration without distinguishing between the victors and the vanquished. In the spirit of reconciliation, friendship and international cooperation, we leave the past behind us as we move forward – with joined hands – to attain peace for all mankind..."
Many like Ramon Bunag of Daly City, California said,"The Fall of Bataan, that day of April 9 is a special day. It is a day of honor and reverence; it is a solemn day. We must recognize an unfortunate fact of life: our beloved country was formed and is protected by the blood of warriors. As unfortunate as this is we can be thankful.We are in prayers with the family and relatives of our fallen soldiers.My family wish to extend special prayers for our late Dad Colonel Perfecto Bunag,Sr,,his comrades-cavaliers from that Battle of Bataan like Gen. Romeo Espino, Gen Napoleon Valeriano,Col Emong Salvador, Gen.Ignacio Paz,Colonel Elias Lazo and one still alive Col. Mike Aure who is in the USA,and other brave soldiers who fought and died for our country...."
Justin Iselin, NaFFAA Region 8, Northern California Adjutant, stated,"There was a strong turnout, especially for the young people involved. A lot of them were from ROTC. I feel this was a great way to increase awareness and knowledge of the achievements of Filipino-Americans in terms of their history to which they are entitled and should be seen as one of their rights...."
Rodel Rodis, Rodel E. Rodis Attorney At Law of San Francisco, California noted,"We should never forget those who veterans, Filipino and American, who gave their lives in order to defend the Philippines from Japanese invasion. We honor those who fell for they laid the groundwork for the liberation of the Philippines and the expulsion of the Japanese invaders...."
Rudy Asercion of San Francisco, California, noted, We do this every year to make sure we remember those who gave their lives in the service of their country and those imprisoned and suffered the horrors of POWs. We are here to make sure that they and their sacrifices are never forgotten..."
Lieutenant Colonel Doug Bullard, Lowell High School San Francisco JROTC noted,"I think for many of the Jrotc members, it gave students exposure to a piece of history that they are not usually exposed to in high schools and opened another perspective into history that they might not have heard or considered. That is valuable. I am sure that many picked up information and stories that they would've never heard, like the vignettes about Generals Wainright and King, and their situation with General Douglas MacArthur were very interesting and were certainly things that were not talked about in high school..."
Students like Valeri Li of Abraham Lincoln High School (San Francisco) stated,"It was interesting. I learned more about WWII and what happened to Filipinos in the war...."
Betty L. of Lowell High School stated,"It was very intereesting learning about WWII and to hear the stories of the veterans. These are the type of stories that you don't often hear about in the textbooks..."
James Kevin Chan of Phillip & Sala Burton High School echoed those sentiments saying,"It was really eye-opemning to attend the event and learn about the history of the Philippines and how the Filipino community influenced and impacted the history of Northern California, the United States and the world...."
Tom Stern, One World Institute, noted,"The people may not have heard about the Bataan Death March. They may have heard of the phrase, but many don't understand the magnitude of the sacrifice of the soldiers or why those events are important. Events like this are important so people can understand and come to grasp the scope and magnitude of the the sacrifice that was made..."
Yolanda Ortega Stern, One World Institute, noted,"The best thing about the event was how the young, the old and the veterans were able to come together for the event, and how the youth will try to learn from the experiences of the veterans. They sure as hell will try o make the world a safer place..."
Marjan Philhour noted,"It's so important that we are able to come together asa community to remember what our veterans contributed and continue to continue to contribute. The events surrounding the Bataan Day of Remembrance contain lessons I'm especially proud to instill values of honor, courage, and community in my children...."
- Jose Ricardo G. Bondoc
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