FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY

Recto, Manila
QUIREQUIRE, Jennilyn S.
T-F 4:30 6:00

March 10, 2015

Reaction paper
The video was about the legacy of heroes: The story of Bataan and Corregidor.
During the American period, there was peace. But little did our Filipinos know that it was
only for a while since the Japanese are planning to invade our country.
Gen. MacArthur went for orange plan which was to regroup soldiers and move to
Bataan. Manila at that time was declared an open city to prevent Japanese for bombing
it. Many of our Filipinos present themselves to fight for our country. Those Filipinos were
trained immediately and the training last only for a short time since the Japanese are
already moving. But most of our Filipino soldiers presented themselves without even
knowing what a war is and how they should deal with it. This just shows how our
Filipinos truly love our country that in times of crisis, we shouldnt sit; instead, we must
stand and fight for our motherland. They were unprepared, but this didnt hinder them to
fight. As I continue to watched, I can say that they are really good. As long as you know
how to fire a gun or cannon, you can kill the Japanese. But even having a weapons isnt
enough. It is the determination, bravery, nationalism that made our Filipino soldiers very
strong. I was very amazed of their bravery. Even in times that medicine and food were
in short, they still didnt give up and continue to hold their defenses.
As you observed, the Japanese were really at an advantage since they control
mostly the air and sea. But even if they were in advantage, there is a time where they
experience loss. Homma realized his worst nightmare. Many of his soldiers, about
thousands of them, were killed or wounded. So the Japanese decided to retreat and
move to Guam, Hong Kong, Singapore, Wake Island in order to wait for reinforcements.
Japanese even tried to persuade Filipino soldiers to turn their backs from Americans by
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sending leaflets about women, making them think of their families. But this didnt shake
the Filipino soldiers. They were more motivated to fight harder when they heard the
story of Erlinda, a young Filipina who was raped and killed by the Japanese. There are
many times that the Japanese failed to destroy the defenses made by the Filipino
soldiers in Bataan. There was a time when the Japanese successfully destroyed the
Bagac line defense, but with the coordination of the Filipino troupes, they eventually get
the defense back in line. This was called the battle of the pockets.
All in all it was a very good documentary because you were able to look back in
the past and know some of the Filipino soldiers, still alive and look healthy, who fought
for our country. I am a citizen of Bataan and I knew about the death march and story of
Bataan and only few information about the Corregidor. But as I watched the video, I
found out that there are still more that I dont know. I felt very sad while watching it. It
was like I feel what they feel during that time. I was also amazed that all of the Filipino
veterans are still very good in speaking in English, and still have a very sharp memory
even if they are quite old. This just shows that this is a story to be remembered and to
be shared with the future generations.
The story of Corregidor and Bataan shouldnt really be forgotten. I believed that
this should remain forever. When visiting Dambana ng Kagitingan in Mt. Samat, people
should not only take a picture and go for sightseeing, but also try to remember the past
and realized the hardships the Filipinos experienced in order to protect our motherland.