BAGUIO CITY – World
War 2 veterans wearing uniforms attended modest but meaningful activities here
Monday to commemorate 73rd Victory Day or liberation of Baguio and the country
from Japanese Imperial forces in World War 2.
Gen. Tomoyoki Yamashita
of the Japanese Imperial Army on Sept. 3, 1945, formally signed surrender
documents before ranking commanders of allied forces at Ambassador’s Residence
here inside Camp John Hay after he was
captured by Filipino and American forces in Kiangan, Ifugao on Sept. 2, 1945.
World War II ended in
Baguio City. Japanese warplanes, at the start of the war, bombed Camp John Hay
on Dec. 8, 1942.
Last Monday, the
Philippine Veterans Affairs Office participated in the activities, where war
veterans were recognized for their roles in the victory of the Filipino and
American forces over the Japanese Imperial Army.
Before the regular
flag-raising rites, city officials and surviving war veterans took part in a
wreath laying ceremony at the Veterans Memorial Park.
Baguio City Mayor
Mauricio Domogan and Brig. Gen. Restituto M. Aguilar (ret.), chief shrine
curator and chief of the Veterans and Memorial Historical Division of PVAO,
delivered their Victory Day messages.
Domogan said it is
fitting to hold the celebration of Victory Day simultaneous with the regular
flag-raising rites at Veterans Park to give appropriate recognition and honor
to the surviving veterans and the sons and daughter of veterans for their gallantry
and bravery in fighting for the liberation of the country during the Japanese
occupation.
He urged residents and
visitors alike to join the local government and the PVAO in the celebration of
Victory Day and recognize the significance of Baguio City’s role during World
War II.
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