Story and photos by Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

This Independence Day I cannot help imagine the sacrifices made by our ancestors that gave us the freedoms we enjoy today. When I visited my father’s home in the province of Tarlac last summer, I decided, as part of our itinerary, we have to visit the Death March Memorial Monument, which is located along the national highway in Capas. At first, the only reason why I wanted to visit the place was only out of curiosity, but I did not expect it would fuel patriotism and love of my home country.
The monument depicts what happened to Filipino and American soldiers who fought against the Imperial Japanese forces during their invasion of the Philippines, which took place from December 8, 1941 to May 8, 1942. The mural shows surrendered soldiers forced to march in dire conditions. It brought tears to my eyes to see a Japanese soldier kicking one of the prisoners, while another tried to intervene but was stopped by his fellow comrade for fear of also getting beaten.
A second scene presented a soldier dropping down and crying as he saw his buddy dying; while a third showed a Japanese soldier bayoneting a prisoner after he fell down, possibly due to exhaustion.
As I was taking pictures of the mural, one of the locals told me about the Capas National Shrine, which was just four kilometers away from where we were. We immediately returned to our vehicle and, after following several Death March markers along the roadside, visited the shrine.
The Capas National Shrine was established in 1991 by former President Corazon Aquino on what were the internment grounds of Camp O’Donnell. The shrine encompasses 54 hectares of parkland, 35 of which have been planted with rows of trees to represent the dead. A 70-meter peace obelisk, with a surrounding memorial circle featuring the names of those who died in the Bataan Death March, is located at the center.
The original train boxcar used by the Japanese forces to transport prisoners is also on display at the shrine, along with a marker showing testimony from soldiers who were held captive by the Japanese.
According to Marino Villarin, who belonged to the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) 2nd Regular Division, they were herded into boxcars like cattle getting ready for the slaughter. He said around 150 men were loaded into the boxcars, where he heard prisoners screaming, alongside others fighting and struggling to keep a foothold to stand upright.
Villarin also said, with some sick from dysentery, they were herded into what he characterized as a “sea of filth” and forced to stand for four hours.
Another testimonial, by Lt. Corban Alabado of the USAFFE 31st Division, said they were suffocating and “cooked alive” by the 110°F temperatures inside the boxcar.
“We sweated, we sizzled, urinated, defecated, I could hear some screaming; when I looked back, I saw a few fainting but had not an inch to fall on… I do not know how many of my comrades died,” he said.
As we continued towards the memorial circle, it appeared I may have had ancestors who fought and died in the Battle of Bataan.
From my father’s side, I saw the names “Private Pedro Banaga” and “Teodorico Banaga,” with a rank identified as DEF. I’m not too sure as to what the rank means although he may have served as a civilian volunteer. When I talked to some of my father’s relatives as to why the ‘ñ’ was not used, they said that our family’s roots originated from “Banaga” and the ‘ñ’ was adopted later. The Banagas originally come from Pangasinan and Tarlac. Searching further down the line, I also discovered the ancestors from my mother’s side, the Guevara family, were originally from Pampanga and later moved to Negros.
Among others inscribed included Privates Ariston and Avelino Guevara; Private First Class Bienvenido Guevara; Sergeants Celestino, Diosdado, and Ernesto Guevara; and Felix Guevara, again, with the rank of DEF.
My mother, who was with us as well, meanwhile, found “Dominador Guevarra,” whom she said could be the father of my great-grandfather, ‘Papang Adong.’ Again, I questioned about the name as there was an extra ‘r’ and we both agreed it could have been misspelled or a similar situation with me father’s side.
During the visit, the only thing that made me sad was the utter disrespect by some visitors, such as the group of bikers who were unruly and riding their bikes inside the memorial circle. I also saw some vandalism along the shrine’s plaques, along with tourists taking pictures with the boxcar and memorial circle and “smiling.”
After we have returned to Bacolod City, I immediately forwarded a letter to Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and the Capas municipal government, which included suggestions on how to maintain the site’s solemnity. Among the suggestions I brought up was having the place guarded by honor guard of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, with the task of not only serving as the “sentinel” for the war dead but to reprimand rowdy tourists.
Both the DND and Capas government immediately replied positively to my request, with the DND indicating my concerns were forwarded to Lorenzana himself.
The Capas municipal government’s tourism office, meanwhile, stated they will install signage to remind the public on proper decorum while within the premises such as maintaining silence and avoiding smiling when taking pictures around the area of the boxcar and the surrounding memorial circle as a way of showing respect to those who died.
I hope, during the observance of our Independence Day today, everyone, especially the new generation, does not forget the heroes who fought not only for our nation but for all humankind./DGB, WDJ