Remembering World War II

• First woman president after Marcos

  Corazon C. Aquino
• When did Aquino take over presidency in the Philippines?

  1986
• Aquino assigned the Department of Tourism to develop Corregidor as a war memorial and tourist spot.
• Corregidor was dubbed as the Island of Valor, Peace and International Understanding.
• Corregidor was dubbed as the Island of Valor, Peace and International Understanding.
• Aquino restored Araw ng Kagitingan to April 9.
• In order to dampen criticisms of commemorating defeats, she also expanded the period to one week to be known as Veterans Week.
• Aquino launched a fund drive for veterans in 1990 and capped the ceremonies with signing into law the Veterans Code, which increased the benefits to Filipino veterans.
• Aquino needed support from Japan and visited Japan officially twice.
• Japan was increasingly important to the Filipinos also because numerous Filipinos were going to Japan to find work.
• Death March is also known as “March for Life”
• The restoration of Intramuros and Fort Abad in the 1970s removed pockmarks and destruction from 1945.
• Some buildings are still in use, such as Bilibid Prison and Muntinglupa prison, which were used by the Japanese for housing POWs and suspected guerrillas.
• 41st Division Shrine, the only division shrine in the country, containing the names of all its members.
• Sunken Japanese ships off the island of Busuanga were marketed for underwater diving tours.
• Fil-American Memorial Endowment Foundation (FAME) was created to restore or replace the Death March markers and help preserve Corregidor and other World War II sites.
• She issued a proclamation which declared December 8, 1991 to December 8, 1992 as a commemorative period for the observation of the fiftieth anniversary of World War II in the Philippines. The theme adopted was : Kagitingan, Kapayapaan Kaunawaan-Valor, Peace and Understanding.
• Japanese ambassador (Toshio Goto) expressed "deep remorse" for WWII.
• The lasting contributions were to be a large memorial in the former prison camp at Capas, Tarlac, and a massive sculpture commemorating a battle at the entrance to Bataan. Both of these would be finished after Aquino's term.
• Fidel V. Ramos succeeded Aquino as president.
• The Americans were back in the picture even if the bases were gone; and other governments such as Japan and Australia joined in.
• Filipinos had freed themselves by the time the Americans came back.

  False
• The liberation commemorations were seen as too pro-American, and some of the critics felt vindicated when, in the Leyte reenactment, the actor playing MacArthur slipped and stumbled into the water.
• The ceremonies in 1995 went on according to plan in various parts of the country, culminating in the surrender of General Yamashita and other parts of the Philippines.
• At about this time, the Veterans Federation of the Philippines started an oral history project, recognizing the need for documenting key veterans' experiences. A veterans mu- seum and library was also opened, focusing on World War II exploits.
• In the 1990s, a organization called Memorare Manila 1945 was formed, a civilian association of survivors of the battle of Manila.
• In February 1995, Memorare organized several masses to remember the civilian dead, and put up a memorial inside Intramuros, where hundred had been killed.
• During or just after the fiftieth anniversary commemorations, additional memorials were put up, such as the one to General Vicente Lim in Manila. The one thousand peso note carries with it the faces of three World War II heroes killed by the Japanese.
• Other means of commemoration were the naming of streets after heroes.
• An activist priest, Fr. Robert Reyes, ran the route of the death march to garner attention and support for the veterans. This was called Takbo ng Buhay (Run for Life).
• In 2003, the Capas Shrine was further developed with the opening of a Wall of Heroes, on which are inscribed the names of some of those who fought in Bataan.
• The Comfort Women were honored with a marker by the City of Manila in cooperation with nongovernment organizations assisting the women.
• There is nothing commemorating officially the Japanese-sponsored republic under President Jose P. Laurel.
• Neither is there anything to show where the pro-Japanese groups such as the Makapili were formed or operated.
• Yamashita: The Tiger's Treasure, dealt with the story of the alleged treasure, based on the

  story of one who claims to have seen it.
• Gatas-Sa Dibdib ng Kaaway (Milk-In the Breast of the Enemy) is a tale of how a Japanese officer sired a son in the Philippines. The mother dies, however, and a Filipina is given the task of feeding the baby. She has to do this in order to protect her brother who is a guerrilla.
• Markova, is about homosexuality and a so-called "Comfort Gay.”
• Aishite imasu 1941, about a cross-dresser in a small town with whom a Japanese officer falls in love.
• Panaghoy sa Suba, is set in Bohol island and attempts to show the reality of guerrilla life.