‘WWII in the Philippines’ confab set for Sept. 23

Photo from Bataan Legal Historical Society/YouTube

A thought-provoking conversation about war crimes in the Philippines, their impact on future generations, and their parallels to contemporary global issues will be conferred at the sixth annual conference on World War II in the Philippine context. 

Spearheaded by the Bataan Legacy Historical Society (BLHS), the conference will take place on Sept. 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the McLaren Conference Center, University of San Francisco.

Centered on this year’s theme, “War Crimes – From WWII Until Today,” the talks will address the enduring consequences of war on affected generations and draw parallels to modern world problems.

This will feature Filipino-American and Vice Admiral Andrew Tiongson, Commander of US Coast Guards Pacific Area and Defense Force West as the guest speaker, and Philip Kearney, former war crimes prosecutor for the United Nations Mission in Kosovo and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at the Hague as the keynote speaker. 

Cynthia Bonta, a survivor of the Los Baños Massacre, will also lead a panel conversation about the tragic events when the Imperial Japanese Army executed around 1,500 civilians.

BLHS has been organizing events in response to the lack of information on the Filipino defenders of Bataan and everything about World War II in the country. These include commemorative events, educational workshops, exhibitions, and conferences.

The organization seeks to “include a seminal part of World War II history in the history/social sciences curriculum in high schools throughout the United States, and document the stories of WWII veterans and survivors in the Philippines.”

Last year, the conference on WWII put a spotlight on the Bataan Death March. 

Registration is still open and everyone can still reserve a slot on BLHS and Eventbrite.