Bataan Province, Philippines

By James Barcelona

Tourist Attractions

Bataan Peninsula

Bataan Peninsula. This peninsula sticks out in Manila Bay overlooking Corregidor Island and was the site of a heroic battle between combined American and Filipino Forces and the Japanese. The allied forces made a final stand to stop Japanese aggression and delay the conquest of the Philippines. After the "Fall Of Bataan," a series of infamous Death Marches began in Mariveles and ended in Capas, Tarlac. Many American and Filipino soldiers died along the way. The entire historic march can be traced by following markers. At San Fernando, American soldiers were crammed into boxcars and transported to the infamous Camp O'Donnell. On April 7, 2000, former death march survivors and representatives of the Philippine government dedicated the "Battling Bastards Of Bataan" memorial at the Camp O'Donnell site. Paid for by members of the Battling Bastards Of Bataan organization, it honors the over 1, 600 Americans who perished there from inhumane treatment received from their Japanese captors. As a tribute to the gallantry and bravery of the American and Philippine Forces, the Philippine government erected a huge towering 60-foot cross on Mount Samat.

Flaming Sword

Francisco Balagtas Monument

Flaming Sword (Pilar, Bataan). A symbol of the Filipino courage and gallantry in the face of adversity and external threats to the nation's democracy and peace.

Francisco Balagtas Monument (Orani, Bataan). Erected as a tribute to Francisco Balagtas who is hailed as the "Prince of Tagalog Poetry".

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar

Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar: A Genesis Heritage Resort (Bo. Pag-asa, Bagac, Bataan) in Bagac, Bataan, is a unique resort. It’s a replica of an old Filipino town with ancestral homes and buildings dating from the 18th to the early 20th century. There are no power lines and driving lanes, only lampposts and cobblestone roads. Upon entry to the resort, one is instantly transported at least a hundred years back into a hodgepodge of a town.

Philippine - Japanese
Friendship Tower

Philippine-Japanese Friendship Tower (Bagac, Bataan). The monument symbolizes reconciliation, peace and friendship between the Philippines and Japan after World War II. Donated by the Japanese, it was built in 1952 by the Rissho Kosei Kai, a Japanese Buddhist sect.

Shrine of Valor

Shrine of Valor (Pilar, Bataan). Located atop Mt. Samat is a towering monument called Shrine of Valor (Dambana ng Kagitingan) which is made of steel and concrete.The monument immortalizes the agony of Filipino and American soldiers in their struggle for freedom and independence against the Japanese forces during World War II. The huge Memorial Cross stands tall at 311-ft high or is equivalent to a 30-storey building. It is half as tall as its original model - the great cross of the Valle de los Caidas in Spain. Its 18x18m column is framed with steel and constructed with luminous materials for maximum lighting effect which when lighted can be seen at night from as far as the seawall in Manila Bay. Towering at 555 meters above sea level, the cross has an elevator, staircase ( with 414 steps up to the arms of the cross or a total of 513 steps to the head of the cross) and a viewing gallery in the arm of the cross. It features a Collonade composed of an altar, an esplanade, and a WWII memorial museum.

Surrender Site Marker

Surrender Site Marker (Balanga City, Bataan). Located inside Balanga Elementary School Grounds, this site was used as a command post by Lt. Gen. Homma at the time of Bataan’s Surrender wherein Major Gen. King and his party signed the documents for the surrender of the USAFFE forces in the Phlippines under a mango tree on April 9, 1942. Lt. Gen. Homma’s party were kept as hostages in the school house until after the USAFFE troops were rounded up and delivered as POW’s to the nearest Japanese units.

Bataan is a province of the Philippines occupying the whole portion of the Bataan Peninsula on Luzon. The province is part of the Central Luzon region. The capital of Bataan is Balanga City and it is bordered by the provinces of Zambales and Pampanga to the north. The peninsula faces the South China Sea to the west and Subic Bay to the north-west, and encloses Manila Bay to the east.

Mariveles Bataan

Balanga Catholic Church

The Battle of Bataan is famous in history as one of the last stands of American and Filipino soldiers before they were overwhelmed by the Japanese forces in World War II. The Bataan Death March was named for this province, where the infamous march started. This is also the location of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant located in the Municipality of Morong.

Geography

The Bataan Peninsula is a rocky extension of the Zambales Mountains, on Luzon in the Philippines. It separates the Manila Bay from the South China Sea. The peninsula features Mount Natib (elevation 1,253 metres (4,111 ft)) in the north and the Mariveles Mountains in the south, which includes Mount Samat, the location of the historical marker for the Bataan Death March.

Mariveles, at the southern tip, can be reached via jet ferry plying the Mariveles-to-Manila route that has an approximate travel time of 40 minutes.