The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
In April, thousands of people will gather again in Capas town, Tarlac province, to commemorate an important part of Philippine history. Filipino and American soldiers from various military groups, as well as civilians from national government agencies, local government units, nongovernment organizations, academe, students, service organizations, and corporations, will march as one in remembering the sacrifice of the Death March heroes.
This year, with the theme “March for a Veteran,” the Capas Freedom March will be more meaningful, engaging and memorable by having each participant march to honor a veteran of their choice. During the event, the participants will be asked to carry a placard that says “In memory of (name of adopted veteran)” while they march. This year’s theme is made more significant because the greatest casualty of any war is to have one’s service be forgotten.
The Capas Freedom March is a joint project of the Department of National Defense’s (DND) Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), the Department of Tourism (DOT), the province of Tarlac, the municipality of Capas, and Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP), that’s envisioned to commemorate the Death March with the aim of promoting peace and freedom.
Together with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legions, the Sons and Daughters of Bataan, and the Women Auxiliary Group, the march’s organizers encourage everyone to join the event on April 11, a Monday, which starts at the Bataan Death Memorial Shrine in Capas and ends at the Capas Monument Shrine on the same day.
The Capas Freedom March is now officially part of the DND’s week-long celebration of Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor). Lt. Gen. Ernesto Carolina, administrator of PVAO, said “this event mainly aims to (impress on) the youth that the price of freedom that we all now enjoy is partly the result of the long (and) arduous ordeal that our Bataan Death Marchers endured. In the process, the value of nationalism will be instilled in the younger generation and generations to come.”
The Capas Freedom March will raise funds for the production of a miniature diorama of the Capas Concentration Camp that will be placed inside the museum of the Capas Memorial Shrine to serve as its highlight.
Early-bird registration is open until Feb. 29, and the fees are as follows: public-school rate, P100; private-school rate, P150; senior-citizen rate, P200; individual rate, P300; corporate group with a minimum of 20 persons, P250 each; and the foreign delegate, $120. Included in the registration fee are a military dogtag and bib.
Assembly time at the Bataan Death Memorial Shrine for the Freedom March starts at 3 a.m. Registration ends at 4:45 a.m. and the march starts at 5 a.m. Participants will be entitled to join ancillary activities, such as a film showing and historical seminar.
For more details and sponsorship opportunities, call AAP Travel’s Michael Quitorio at (632) 551-0014, 0905-4876855, or 0928-5074288, or send an e-mail to info@capasfreedommarch.com