Exhibit, shipboard rite honor WWII Fall of Bataan

SAN FRANCISCO – Filipino Americans and U.S. officials in the San Francisco Bay Area came together to mark the 80^th anniversary of the Fall of Bataan during World War II with an exhibit and a shipboard ceremony honoring Filipino and American soldiers who fought in the Philippines.

“Remember Bataan: The 80th Anniversary of the Fall of Bataan” Memorial Exhibit opened at the Philippine Consulate’s Kalayaan Hall in honor of Filipino and American World War II veterans and civilians.

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. CONTRIBUTED

It officially opened on April 11, with Filipino and American government officials in attendance, including California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, Daly City Councilmember and former Mayor Juslyn Manalo, San Francisco District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai, and San Francisco City Librarian Michael Lambert.

The exhibit is open to the public from Mondays to Fridays, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for three weeks, until  April 30. Those who wish to see the exhibit on a weekend must make an appointment at https://bit.ly/rememberbataan.

The exhibit is divided into seven sections: timeline of World War II in the Philippines, from 1941 to 1945; the Fall of Bataan and Bataan Death March; the role of the San Francisco Bay Area in the Philippine campaign of the war; profiles of Filipino, Filipino American and American soldiers, and civilians; a video projection featuring the interviews of Filipino and American children who witnessed the war; key takeaways such as the lasting political and cultural impact of the war in the Philippines, and the legacy of Filipino Americans in the U.S. Armed Forces; and community engagement to support Filipino American veterans and their families.

It is a joint project of the consulate the Department of Tourism Office in San Francisco, the Filipino American Arts Exposition through its President Al Perez, the Bataan Historical Legacy Historical Society through its Executive Director Cecilia Gaerlan, and the Philippine Scouts Heritage Society through its National Assistant Secretary Rod de la Concepcion. Filipino American community leaders and descendants of World War II veterans contributed memorabilia to the exhibit.

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. CONTRIBUTED

Meanwhile, aboard the USS Hornet, one of the U.S. warships that took part in the liberation of the Philippines during World War II, the Filipino American community in the San Francisco Bay Area solemnly marked the 80th anniversary of the Fall of Bataan and the Bataan Death March on 10 April 2022 at the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda, California.

Organized by the Bataan Legacy Historical Society, the “Remembrance and Reconciliation” 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.