This Day of Valor commemorates our heritage of the kind of heroism, resilience, and courage that takes a stand in the face of an insurmountable enemy. This Day of Valor reminds us of the example of our forebears who fought not just to win but to oppose, to withstand, and to take a stand, to make their voice heard, and to show the enemy that they will not conquer unopposed. This Day of Valor teaches us that the closing lines of our Anthem, “ang mamatay nang dahil sa’yo”, does not imply defeatism or pessimism but proclaims a selfless commitment to our freedom as a people and our integrity as a nation: to not give up without putting up a fight for the Motherland, and to have honor in defeat knowing the enemy can never bow the Filipino patriot’s heart.
Let us remember to learn the lessons of our past so as to help us make choices for the present and thereby chart a future worthy of the sacrifices made by those who came before us. Pax et bonum!
#LSMRemembers
[Image modified from an original posted on Reddit: “The voice of Bataan”, A Post-War Poster by Philippine-American Veterans Group Commemorating The Fall of Bataan, 1953]
