Philcongen SF Commemorates 80th Anniversary of the Fall of Bataan
Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer (third from left) leads Filipino and American officials and leaders during the ribbon-cutting ceremony of “Remember Bataan: The 80th Anniversary of the Fall of Bataan” Memorial Exhibit at the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco’s Kalayaan Hall on 11 April 2022. Joining the Consul General are, from left to right: San Francisco District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai; Daly City Councilmember Juslyn Manalo; Filipino American Arts Exposition President Al Perez; Bataan Legacy Historical Society Executive Director Cecilia Gaerlan; Philippine Scouts Heritage Society National Assistant Secretary Rod dela Concepcion; and San Francisco Public Library Chief Michael Lambert. ( Photos from San Francisco PCG)
SAN FRANCISCO 12 April 2022 – To mark the milestone 80th anniversary of the Fall of Bataan and the Bataan Death March during the Second World War, the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco partnered with various Filipino American Community Organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area for the staging of a three week visual exhibit at the PHilipine center in san Franicsco entitiled “ Remember Bataan: The 80th Anniversary of the Fall of Bataan”.
Officially opened on 11 April and running through 30 April, the memorial exhibit pays tribute to the the Filipino and American World War II veterans and civilians.
In his remarks, Consul General Neil Ferrer said that “it is only fitting that a visual exhibit of this kind is staged in San Francisco where many Filipino World War II veterans migrated to rebuild their lives after the end of the war. He also cited the inclusion of the Philippine World War II history in the Califormian state curriculum and the confernement of the US Congressional Gold Medal, American’s highest civilian award, to the more than 250,000 Filipino World War II veterans.
Other partners include the Department of Tourism Office, the Filipino American Arts Exposition, the Bataan Legacy HIstyorical Society and the Philipine Scouts Heritage Society.
Aptly, the Bataan Legacy Historical Society organized the “Remembrance and reconciliation” Memorial Ceremony held on 10 April aboard the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda California, one of the US warships that took part in the liberation of the Phiippines during World War II. The Memorial Ceremony honored the Filipino and American prisoners of war who perished and survived the Bataan Death March, as well as the Allied casualties of the Japanese hell ships Oryoku Maru and Enoura Maru.
In his remarks during the memorial, Consul General Ferrer highlighted the importance of commemorating the Fall of Bataan in the shared history between the Philipines and the United States and addressed the descendants of Filipino and American World War II veterans in attendance: “They may be your fathers, grandfathers, great grandfathers, brothers or uncles, but to the rest of us, they are our heroes. Their hardships and sacrifices paved the way for the peace and liberties that we now enjoy today. Rest assured that the legacy of your forebears will never be diminished nor forgotten by future generations of Filipinos and Filipino Americans. He also and recalled that “Filipino resistance fighters as well as the Philippine government in exile in the United States promoted “The Fighting Filipinos” poster on the Fall of Bataan’s first anniversary, to rally Allied support for Philippine liberation. Americans also commemorated Bataan—Field Marshal Douglas MacArthur’s command aircraft was named the Bataan, same with a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, which was the first American vessel named after a World War II battle.
Following the memorial, Consul General Ferrer joined U.S. Coast Guard Commander for the Pacific Area and Vice Admiral Michael McAllister, Brigadier General Steven McLaughlin, Rear Admiral Jonathan Yuen, and Mexican Consul General in San Francisco Remedios Gomez Arnau in a wreath-throwing ceremony aboard the USS Hornet, to pay homage to all Filipino and American war veterans.
Through memorials and special projects with the Filipino American community in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, the Consulate hopes to contribute in keeping the memory and legacy of Filipino World War II veterans alive for future generations of Filipinos and Filipino Americans.
For more information, visit https://www.sanfranciscopcg.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philippinessanfrancisco.org, https://www.facebook.com/PHinSF/ or https://www.instagram.com/phlinsf/. END
Left photo: Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer delivers his remarks at “Remembrance and Reconciliation”, the Fall of Bataan and Bataan Death March 80th anniversary memorial organized by the Bataan Legacy Historical Society at the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda, California; Right photo: Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer (in barong Tagalog) joins U.S. Coast Guard Vice Admiral Michael McAllister, Brigadier General Steven McLaughlin, Rear Admiral Jonathan Yuen, and Mexican Consul General in San Francisco Remedios Gomez Arnau in a wreath-throwing ceremony aboard the USS Hornet in Alameda, California, in honor of Filipino and American war veterans who died during the Second World War. ( Photos from San Francisco PCG)