Today is the Day of Valor (in Filipino, Araw ng Kagitingan), a national holiday in the Philippines. On April 9, 1942 during World War II, the Bataan Peninsula fell to the Japanese Imperial Army and the American and Filipino forces were forced to surrender and then the infamous Bataan Death March took place.

Photo by Shubert Ciencia. (CC)

Mount Samat Shrine, located in Pilar, Bataan, is the national monument dedicated to all the Filipinos and American soldiers that lost their lives during the battle at Bataan. Locally, the monument is called the Dambana ng Kagitingan (Shrine of Valor). The centerpiece feature of this shrine is a 92-meter high white cross where people can actually climb into and go up, via elevator, to the viewing deck within the cross’ arms. And since the shrine is on top of Mount Samat, which is about 550 meters high, the view from the cross is quite impressive—and the cross is also seen from miles around. In Google Maps, you can easily see the cross from its distinctive shadow.

There are also other structures surrounding the cross, including a helipad and the colonnade, which houses the museum (seen directly to the east of the cross in the satellite image). And basing from the zigzag road connecting the colonnade and the cross, there’s some considerable climbing to do!

Read more at the Pinoy Travel Blog and Wikipedia.

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