The first national holiday of the Philippines this month of April, 2014 is the “Araw ng Kagitingan” which falls on Wednesday, April 9, 2014. The country will be celebrating the 72nd anniversary of the Fall of Bataan.
The April 9, celebration is a Regular National Holiday in the entire Philippines based on President Benigno Aquino’s Proclamation 655 which the President signed last year.
The celebration of “Araw ng Katigingan (Day of Valor) will commemmorate the bravery of the Filipino and American fighters in Bataan under the leadership of Major General Edward P. King of the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) during the year 1942.
The USAFFE forces and the Filipino soldiers surrendered to the Japanese invaders during World II after they realized the failure of their resistance as Japanese forces overpowered the Filipino and American troops after four months of fighting before the Fall of Bataan.
The Araw ng Kagitingan National Holiday on April 9, which is also known as Bataan and Corregidor Day, was first observed during the term of the late President Corazaon Coquangco-Aquino who promulgated Executive Order No. 203 of 1987.
The April 9 Regular Holiday nationwide aimed to honor and remember the gallantry and valor of Filipinos during World War II.
