06/06/2016
PCG marks 2nd Capas Freedom March
PCG-CGOBETC: It was a weeklong activity for the Philippine Coast Guard as we joined in the national observance of Araw ng Kagitingan and the Philippine Veterans Week.
The Command participated on various activities, such as: Tribute to all Filipino Heroes which was held on 07 April 2016 at Corregidor Island; celebration of the Araw ng Kagitingan at Mt. Samat Shrine on 09 April 2016; and the Capas Freedom March on 11 April 2016 at Capas, Tarlac.
This year’s Freedom March commemorates the 74th anniversary of the Bataan Death March which took place on 09 April 1942, where almost 80,000 Filipino and American soldiers were forced by the Japanese military to walk from Bagac, Bataan and from Bagac, Bataan and from Mariveles, Bataan as the two starting points to Camp o’ Donell in Capas, Tarlac.
On 11 April 2016 at 5 o’clock in the morning, one hundred twenty (120) delegates from Coast Guard Officers’ Basic Education and Training Center (CGOBETC) joined the ten (10) kilometers distance march stretching from Capas to Capas Shrine at Camp OʼDonnel for the re-enactment of the historic Bataan Death March of the World War II in Capas, Tarlac.
This year’s theme was, “March for a Veteran”. Participants were given bibs that read: In Memory of (name of veteran soldier) and were put on every participants’ back.
Leading the huge number of participants from the Filipino and American soldiers, the representatives from civilian/national government agencies, the local government units, the non-government organizations, the students and the private corporations was a veteran himself and Former President of the Republic of the Philippines, Fidel V Ramos.
At the age of 88, he is still full of energy marching under the heat of the sun, demonstrating that he is truly an epitome of a brave and gallant Filipino soldier. During his younger years as a soldier, Ramos, along with the Philippines' 20th Battalion Combat Team and the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea (PEFTOK), fought in the Korean War. He was an Infantry Reconnaissance Platoon Leader.
Former President Fidel V Ramos was one of the heroes of the Battle of Hill Eerie, where he led his platoon to sabotage the enemy in Hill Eerie. He was also present in the Vietnam War as a non-combat civil military engineer and Chief of Staff of the Philippine Civil Action Group (PHILCAG).
This march reminds us of our great history as a nation, of how brave and gallant our Filipino soldiers are, and through this, we feel a sense of pride of being a Filipino which we can proudly say that, “Yes, we came from a great race.”
By participating in this activity, we can imbibe to the younger generation the spirit of nationalism. As what Dr. Jose P Rizal said, “Ang Kabataan ay Pag-asa ng ating Bayan” and by continuously supporting this event annually, we can help raise funds for the reconstruction of the Capas Concentration Camp that will serve as the highlight of the Capas National Shrine Museum.