Araw ng Kagitingan: A tribute to heroism, resilience and sacrifice

Every year on April 9, Filipinos commemorate Araw ng Kagitingan to honor the courage and sacrifice of the “heroic defenders of Bataan” during World War II. The observance marks the fall of Bataan in 1942, when more than 70,000 Filipino and American soldiers—already weakened by hunger, disease and exhaustion—were forced to surrender to Japanese forces.