Bataan Day

Araw ng Kagitingan (Filipino for "Day of Valor"), also known as Bataan Day or Bataan and Corregidor Day, is a national observance in the Philippines which commemorates the fall of Bataan during World War II. It falls on April 9, although in 2009 it would have coincided with Maundy Thursday and was moved to April 6.

Official name
Official instruments designating of this holiday have specified several different names.

On 1961, Congress passed Republic Act 3022 declaring April 9 of every year as Bataan Day. On 1987, Executive Order 203 revised all national holidays in the Philippines, renaming the April 9 holiday into "Araw ng Kagitingan (Bataan and Corregidor Day)". Less than a month later, another executive order (No. 292), revised the holidays anew but it didn't affect the naming of the April 1 holiday. On 2007, Congress passed Republic Act No. 9492 putting into law the "Holiday Economics" policy of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo: this puts the observance of holidays except New Years Day and Christmas to the Monday nearest it. During the administration of President Benigno Aquino III, all celebrations the holiday has been observed on April 9 and not on the Monday nearest it, and that the holiday has been called simply as "Araw ng Kagitingan".

History
At dawn on 9 April 1942, against the orders of Generals Douglas MacArthur and Jonathan Wainwright, the commander of the Luzon Force, Bataan, Major General Edward P. King, Jr. surrendered more than 76,000 starving and disease-ridden soldiers (67,000 Filipinos, 1,000 Chinese Filipinos, and 11,796 Americans) to Japanese troops.

The majority of these prisoners of war had their belongings confiscated before being forced to endure the infamous 140 kilometre (90 mile) Bataan Death March to Camp O'Donnell in Capas, Tarlac. En route, thousands died from dehydration, heat prostration, untreated wounds, and wanton execution while walking in deep dust over vehicle-broken Macadam roads, and crammed into rail cars for transport to captivity.

The few who were lucky enough to travel by truck to San Fernando, Pampanga would still have to endure more than 25 additional miles of marching. Prisoners were beaten randomly and often denied promised food and water. Those who fell behind were usually executed or left to die, the sides of the roads becoming littered with dead bodies and those moaning for help.

Only some 54,000 of the 76,000 prisoners reached their destination; the exact death toll is difficult to assess because thousands of captives were able to escape from their guards. Approximately 5,000-10,000 Filipino and 600-650 American prisoners-of-war died before they could reach Camp O'Donnell.

United States
In Maywood, Illinois the second Sunday in September is remembered as Bataan Day. Maywood provided Illinois National Guard soldiers of the 192nd Tank Battalion who served on Bataan.

2012 observance
2012 marked the 70th anniversary of the Fall of Bataan, which was commemorated at Mount Samat Shrine in Pilár, Bataan by some of the over 18,000 still-living Filipino veterans.

Incumbent President Benigno S. Aquino III and former President Fidel V. Ramos attended this year's rites. Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Toshina Urabe expressed "deep apology and a deep sense of remorse to the tragedy", while United States Deputy of Mission Leslie Bassett (representing American Ambassador Harry K. Thomas Jr.) said their Embassy has provided a total of US$220 million (over Ph₱9 billion) to Filipino war veterans.