‘Without regard for the congressional message, these freeloaders and gate-crashers infest the machinery of government, thus, we rebuke them with a clarion call to mind the sacrifices of our heroes and heroines in the Anti-Fascist War…’
FROM WW2 to WW3? As the Philippines observes its annual Day of Valor, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the Ukrainian military has captured two Chinese men fighting alongside the Russian army in the eastern Donetsk region and has information that “significantly more” are with Russian forces. [https://www.yahoo.com/news/ukraines-zelenskyy-says-2-chinese-133822664.html]
Since the incumbent commander-in-chief told the entire Filipino nation that “we celebrate the valiant heroes of the defense of Bataan, and all Filipinos who showed acts of unwavering courage and patriotism during the Second World War,” thus, we salute Renato Constantino (who fought in the Battle of Bataan, then became a guerrilla), Miguel Ver (Hunters-ROTC guerrillas), Ruperto Kangleon (Leyte Area Command), Pedro Abad Santos and Crisanto Evangelista (SPP-PKP), Tomas Confesor and Macario Peralta (Free Panay), Marcos Agustin (Marking’s Guerrillas), Jesús Antonio Flores Villamor and Godofredo Juliano (6th Pursuit Squadron), Ramon Abacan Alcaraz (Commanding Officer of the torpedo boat Q-112 Abra), Victoriano Luna (Chief of the Medical Service and Medical Adviser to the Chief of Staff who was killed instantly in the Battle of Bataan by a bomb from a fascist Japanese warplane), and Carmen Rosales (Hukbalahap sharpshooter and Pangasinense actress), among others. [https://pco.gov.ph/news_releases/pbbms-message-during-the-commemoration-of-araw-ng-kagitingan/]
The Filipino Chief Executive told the Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines, the US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Mr. Robert Ewing and all else who had gathered at the Mount Samat Shrine (Pilar, Bataan) for the 83rd anniversary of the Araw Ng Kagitingan: “Peace cannot be attained by one person, by one country alone. And that we have to bring together all the parties that are involved. These are the lessons that we hope to have learned. We are a little bit disappointed to see that the world – parts of the world, and many countries in the world have yet to learn that lesson.”
[https://pco.gov.ph/presidential-speech/speech-by-president-ferdinand-r-marcos-jr-at-the-83rd-anniversary-of-the-araw-ng-kagitingan/]
Will such commemorations aid the global peace movement in shifting the world’s only superpower and its wannabe-replacement away from the Thucydides Trap? Take note: “Xi Jinping has openly expressed his intention to annex Taiwan to mainland China, has told his military to be prepared to use force to achieve such an outcome by 2027…To counter this threat, it’s critical that we establish a denial defense in the western Pacific.” [https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/hegseth_apq_responses.pdf]
Without regard for the Presidential message, bureaucrats continue to indulge in their fetish of the Self-Licking Ice-Cream Cone, hence, we share this warning: “Undoubtedly if you and your fellow puppets are today receiving a certain degree of consideration from Japanese Army, such considerations may be attributed exclusively to the heroism of our soldier in Bataan and the demonstration of their readiness and willingness of our people to suffer, especially of the common man, not the rich, the learned, the ambitious and crooked politicians and office-seekers who are hungry for power and influence, nor to your personal qualities of wealth. You puppets love ease and comfort so much as to compel you to barter the liberties of our people for anything.” — Tomas Confesor (Commonwealth of the Philippines, Office of the Governor), Letter to Fermin Caram, Panay, 20 February 1943
Such shameless parasites, these bureaucrats. Meanwhile, we concur with the statement of Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez: “Araw ng Kagitingan is a time to reflect on what courage really means. It’s not always about medals or ceremonies. Most of the time, it looks like ordinary people doing extraordinary things: The father who works two jobs to keep his kids in school. The mother who never gives up, no matter how hard life gets. The teacher, the nurse, the farmer, the delivery rider—every Filipino who shows up, gives their best, and stands for what’s right. To our veterans and their families, thank you. What you gave up can never be repaid—but we honor you by building a country you can be proud of.” [https://congress.gov.ph/media/press-releases/view/?content=9279&title=Statement+of+Speaker+Ferdinand+Martin+G.+Romualdez+on+the+83rd+Commemoration+of+Araw+ng+Kagitingan]
Without regard for the Congressional message, these freeloaders and gate-crashers infest the machinery of government, thus, we rebuke them with a clarion call to mind the sacrifices of our heroes and heroines in the Anti-Fascist War: “10-11 April 1942. The Bataan Death March was the forcible transfer by the Imperial Japanese Army of 60,000–80,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war from Saysain Point, Bagac, Bataan and Mariveles to Camp O’Donnell, Capas, Tarlac, via San Fernando, Pampanga, where the prisoners were forced to march until they died. Prisoners started out from Mariveles on April 10, and Bagac on April 11, converging in Pilar, Bataan, and heading north to the San Fernando railhead.” [https://bataan.gov.ph/history/]
Yes, we applaud that the Defense Department “encourages every Filipino to take part in these commemorative events, learn from our history, and carry forward the spirit of patriotism and service” (https://www.dnd.gov.ph/Release/2025-04-04/2354/DND-enjoins-nation-to-honor-veterans-on-the-83rd-Araw-ng-Kagitingan,-2025-Philippine-Veterans-Week/), thus, we rejoice in the invitation to view the exhibit “Letizia: A Life in Letters” (marking the 105th birth anniversary of Letizia Roxas Constantino—writer, nationalist, historian and WW2 survivor).
We finally note how Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada appealed to his fellows at the 150th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union to support the Philippines’ bid for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the 2027-2028 term. [http://web.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2025/0407_estradaj2.asp] Even as we bring back to the foreground the S.P. Lopez speech: “The world will long remember the epic struggle that the Filipino and American soldiers put up in the jungle fatness and along the rugged coast of Bataan…For what sustained them through all these months of incessant battle was a force that was more than merely physical. It was the force of unconquerable faith…the thought of freedom and dignity and the pride in these most priceless of all our human prerogatives.”
