MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park, Palo, Leyte
October 20, 2022

“We commemorate this event, but let us remember the courage and heroism demonstrated by our war veterans, fellow Filipinos, allied forces, and for that matter, even the Japanese forces, who offered their lives in a quest to attain peace and freedom that we now enjoy. They who have fought and died in and for this land will have their names forever etched in the pages of history,” stated President Ferdinand R. Marcos as he graced the 78th Leyte Gulf Landings Anniversary at the MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park in the Municipality of Palo, Leyte.

The Chief Executive vowed to look after the welfare of Filipino war veterans as a way of honoring their heroism and carrying on their legacy by advocating for peace and unity, particularly in strengthening peace-building efforts in conflict-affected areas.

“This event that we commemorate today should remind us of the human and economic cost of war. And therefore, it is important that we keep the peace and its role as an enabler of economic growth and development and — a quality of life for all our people. Each of us will have to play a part in achieving this noble endeavor. And if the Second World War has taught us certain things, one of them is that we can achieve great feats and avoid even greater suffering if only we open our hearts and minds to listen and to talk, so that we can cooperate with each other for the welfare of all,” President Marcos ended in his keynote speech.

The theme of this year’s Leyte Gulf Landings commemoration is ‘Peace Eternal: Lesson Learned from the Vestiges of World War II’. It is the first in-person commemoration of the historic event after two years of hybrid activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Leyte Gulf Landings commemorative program remembers the arrival of Allied Forces led by United States General Douglas MacArthur to liberate the Philippines from the Japanese Imperial Forces that occupied the country from 1942-1945. The arrival of the Allied Forces led to the Battle of Leyte Gulf, dubbed as the biggest naval battle in history with more than 200,000 participants and hundreds of battleships, that resulted to the defeat of Japanese forces in the Philippines.

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