SEVENTY-six years ago, on March 18, 1945 the Free Panay Guerilla Forces launched the final assault against Japanese occupation forces in Iloilo and elsewhere in Panay Island, coinciding with the landing of the American Liberation Forces in Tigbauan, Iloilo.
It was part of the larger campaign of 1944-1945 to repel Japanese forces from the country beginning on Oct. 20, 1944 when American and Filipino forces led by General Douglas MacArthur landed on Leyte during the Battle of Leyte, liberating that island.
According to the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, Iloilo was where the country had the most successful resistance movement against Japanese invading forces during World War 2.
Let us remember that this important saga of our history was woven not just by the resolve of an individual, but the stories of thousands upon thousands of brave men and women who came together in defense of freedom.
Most importantly, we honor the valor of our Filipino fighters, now our war veterans who made up the resistance movement against foreign occupation. Their experiences encapsulate the idea that in any war, it is the ordinary soldier and the unarmed civilian who suffer the most. After the conflict, they are left with the huge task of rising from the rubble and rebuilding their lives and the nation.
From this experience, we should come up with a common resolve to never again allow humanity to undergo the same terrors and losses, especially from preventable man-made wars. As it is, the Filipinos are engaged in their everyday battle for survival – to get to work, to bring food on the table, to land a decent job, to find means to study, to cure an illness.
It is the Filipinos’ spirit, toughness and perseverance – as inspired by our war veterans in their battle for freedom – that keep us going to overcome the challenges we face now.
Such courage and selflessness are innate in the Filipino. This is us.
