The Philippines will commemorate on March 3, 2020, the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Manila, one of the major and most devastating urban conflicts in the Asia Pacific during World War II.
In acknowledgment of the nation’s bravery and heroic acts as the Japanese and Americans battled for control of Manila, various groups have created their own tributes to the history of Manila.
INTRAMUROS HISTORICAL WALKING TOURS
In February 1945, the city of Manila was almost leveled to rubble and the historic city of Intramuros experienced massive destruction. Fast forward to 2020 when historical touring has become one popular activity in the Walled City of Intramuros.
In the weeks of March, the Intramuros Administration and the Philippine World War II Memorial Foundation are offering a narrative walking tour through the Walled City with a special focus on the era of World War II. The tour is inclusive of reenactments and museums and charges Php 1,800/person.
One important spot in Intramuros is Fort Santiago, where tourists can roam until 11 P.M. Newly opened for night tours is the Fort’s dungeons, where more daring tourists can explore from 10 A.M to 10 P.M., and look through the very prisons which witnessed the devastation of the war.
MEMOMARE MANILA 1945 COMMEMORATIVE SOUVENIR STAMPS
In remembrance of the dead, the Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) released 40,000 commemorative postal stamps printed with the image of the Memomare – Manila 1945 monument, a symbol of acknowledgment to civilian non-combatants who suffered in the Battle of Manila.
The monument is located at Plazuela de Sta Isabel in Intramuros. The monument was sculpted by Peter de Guzman, and the words inscribed on the epitaph penned by National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin.
The PHLPost states, the stamps are to “[honor] the men, women, and children who perished during the Battle of Manila seventy-five years ago.”
The PHLPost recently presented these stamps to Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat and Jose Miguel Cabarrus, President of Memorare Manila 1945.
The city of Intramuros has undergone many rebuildings and renovations as it adamantly keeps standing through the test of history and time. Recently, new areas have been opened to the public, as well as improved infrastructure to the original foundation.
A part of the movement to restore Manila’s former beauty prior to the marring during WWII has brought forth the rehabilitation of the historic Jones Bridge, now elegantly and tastefully remade into a bridge that recalls the glory of Old Manila.
WATCH this documentary on the Battle of Manila released in 2015 on the 70th anniversary and SEND CHEERS to the people of Manila as they remember the lessons of World War II
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