Philippines is in the Heart: Battle of Bessang Pass

Foundation for Philippine Progress presents:
Battle of Bessang Pass

To the epic of Bataan and Corregidor is the story of the American and Filipino soldiers who chose to die fighting rather than lay down their arms. Through three long, dismal years they resisted the enemy. Cut from outside help, to “I Shall Return” they proudly replied: "We Remained" (Col. Russell Volckmann, Commanding Officer, US Armed Forces in the Philippines, Northern Luzon, from his book, ​We Remained​). World War II in the Philippines, the fight against the Imperial Japanese Army is replete with stories from those who survived. Foremost among these stories retold in major documented accounts, however, is the Death March or the Fall of Bataan and Corregidor. This has been the defeatist narrative of the war in the Philippines; how the US allied forces, along with their Filipino counterpart, finally surrendered to Imperial Japan. It was at this juncture when General Douglas Macarthur declared “I shall return”, fleeing to Australia as Manila turned into an open city to the invading Japanese forces.

Relegated underneath this popular historical chronicle of the war is that one battle led by the remnant US and Filipino soldiers when most of their US allies had left the islands. This was the victorious Battle of Bessang Pass. This battle was spearheaded not by the Americans. The backbone mountain defenses of the retreating Japanese forces with General Tomoyuki Yamashita at Bessang, was finally defeated, broken open in their final surrender and the end of Japanese occupation in the Philippines. This assault was led by an unheralded, sturdy battalion of mostly bolo-men from the mountains of Abra alongside the gallant leadership of the very few Filipino officers who survived and escaped the Death March. To this day, this story has been kept silent.

Engage in a presentation with noted Philippine War Historian, Dr. Ricardo “Rico” Trota Jose from the University of the Philippines, as he shares his insights with years of extensive research about the forgotten role of the Filipino soldier in the fight and inevitable surrender of the Japanese in the Philippines. Learn why the silence about this particular battle continues.

-------

About Foundation for Philippine Progress, Inc.
The Foundation for Philippine Progress is a 501C-3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to empower and engage communities in programs and projects for the Philippines to secure quality health, education, and basic human rights for every Filipino. We are based in Portland, Oregon, but we work with communities across the United States while conducting our projects for vulnerable communities in the Philippines.

Contact Information
Email: info@philippineprogress.org
Website: www.philippineprogress.org
Facebook: /philippineprogress
Instagram: @philippineprogress
Donate at www.philippineprogress.org/donate
Sign up to be our partner for progress at tinyurl.com/partnerforprogress

Видео Philippines is in the Heart: Battle of Bessang Pass канала Foundation for Philippine Progress