Mt. Samat National Shrine, Bataan
April 9, 2018

Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea, representing President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, led the 76th “Araw ng Kagitingan” (Day of Valor) commemorating the Bataan Death March at the Mt. Samat National Shrine in the Municipality of Pilar, Bataan.

Joining the Executive Secretary for the wreath-laying ceremony were Japanese Ambassador Koji Haneda and United States Embassy Charge d’ Affaires Michael Klecheski, representing their countries which played major roles in the Fall of Bataan in 1942.

Carrying this year’s theme “Kagitingan at Pagmamahal sa Pilipinas Para sa Tunay na Pagbabago,” the Executive Secretary conferred awards to the winners of the National Creative Painting, Essay Writing and Oratorical contests together with Education Secretary Leonor Briones; Defense Undersecretary for Civil, Veterans and Retiree Affairs Reynaldo Mapagu; Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) Administrator Ernesto Carolina; and Veterans Federation of the Philippines (VFP) Sons and Daughters Association, Inc. President Estrella Santos.

Following the event, the Executive Secretary also led the unveiling and groundbreaking ceremony of the Mt. Samat Flagship Tourism Enterprise Zone (FTEZ), an inter-agency partnership between PVAO, Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), Provincial Government of Bataan and MInicipal Government of Pilar, which aims to develop the 73-hectare National Park of the Shrine Site, envisioned to become a world-class historical tourism destination.

The President’s absence is due to his departure schedule for the People’s Republic of China where he is set to participate in the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2018 in Boao, Hainan Province.

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