About this Holiday
Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) commemorates the fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942, when Filipino and American forces surrendered to Japanese troops during World War II — one of the largest surrenders in American military history. The surrender was followed by the infamous Bataan Death March, in which tens of thousands of prisoners of war were forced to march over 100 kilometers under brutal conditions, with thousands perishing along the way. Every April 9th, the Philippine government holds memorial ceremonies at the Bataan Death March Memorial on Mount Samat, honoring the courage and sacrifice of all Filipino soldiers.