From an airplane or a satellite, the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Cemetery of the Heroes) is an intriguing site with its concentric tree-lined arcs. This cemetery is the Philippine equivalent of America’s Arlington National Cemetery and is where the soldiers who have fought for the country are buried, among others.

The Libingan ng mga Bayani is one of the six military shrines maintained by the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office. I’ve already featured one of them—the Mount Samat Shrine—back in April. We’ll be featuring the rest in due time.

The cemetery was established as the Republic Memorial Cemetery in May 1947 and was renamed to its present name by President Magsaysay in 1954.

Photo by Aissa Richards (CC-BY-2.0)

Anyway, aside from the soldiers and military personnel who have died in duty fighting during World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and against communist insurgents and Muslim separatists within the country, presidents, dignitaries, statesmen, and National Artists and Scientists are buried in the cemetery. Among these include former presidents Garcia and Macapagal and his wife (Marcos was to be buried here but his remains is currently preserved in Ilocos Norte), National Artist Carlos P. Romulo, revolutionary leader Artemio Ricarte, Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee., Senate President Blas Ople, and anti-corruption official Haydee Yorac.

The Libingan ng mga Bayani also features the Philippines’ Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is at the very center of the cemetery. Along the second major arc road are three pylons, each honoring the military dead of WWII, Korean, and Vietnam Wars. Near the entrance at the northern part of the cemetery is the Heroes Memorial Gate (Google Map, Flickr). If you look closely enough in Google Maps, you can actually see the grid of crosses marking the graves.

If you want to learn more and see tons of pictures, this slightly outdated CorregidorIsland.com page is recommended. I also heard that the place is an excellent jogging spot.

Download KML file (for Google Earth)