Aquino Ancestral House
San Jose, Concepcion, Tarlac
Declared as a historical site by the National Historical Commission (NHC) in 1987, a marker was unveiled in the ancestral house of the Aquino declaring the house historical significance being the home of well-known patriots from the Aquino clan. The unveiling of the landmark held last September 2011 was led by President Benigno Aquino III and his family.
In this house, three generations of Aquinos lived since it was built in 1939 starting off with General Servillano Aquino, a Katipunero during the revolution against the Spanish government, great grandfather of President Noynoy.
The president’s grandfather, Benigno Aquino Sr., also lived in the house when he became a Tarlac representative and governor of the province. Benigno Aquino Jr., popularly known to the world as Ninoy, the father of the President, also resided in the ancestral house when he was the mayor of Concepcion town. Since its building in 1939 with the help of wood craftsmen from Pampanga, the ancestral house was renovated in 2011 so the public could appreciate its historical value. The ancestral house now belongs to Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV.
Capas National Shrine
Capas, Tarlac
The shrine, located in a 54-hecatre property in Brgy. O' Donnell, Capas, Tarlac was the first prison camp for the men who survived the "Death March" in the hands of the Japanese during the last world war in 1942. The Camp O' Donnell Memorial Monument was built by the organization known as "The Battling Bastards of Bataan" to honor the Americans and Filipinos who died at Camp O' Donnell, while prisoners of the Japanese. The Cement Cross is a replica of the original cement cross built by the POWs. The monument is adjacent to the memorial for the Philippine Army dead. The "Cross" was built as a memorial to the thousands who died in that camp. It is as much a part of Bataan as the participants in that battle. The inscription on the base of the "Cross" reads "Omnia Pro Patria": All For Country. On the wall behind the "Cross" are inscribed the names of the men who died at Camp O' Donnell. The original "Cement Cross" is now on display in the National Prisoner of War Museum, at the Andersonville National Historic Site, Andersonville, GA. It was brought to this country by Bataan survivors. An outdoor nook features a wall inscribed with the names of the fallen Americans. An adjacent museum called Defender's Hall consists of a modest collection of photos that document the Death March and travails of POWs in prison camps. It has preserved one of the remnants of wartime atrocities - a boxcar that transported survivors of the Death March from San Fernando, Pampanga to Capas. Measuring six feet long, eight feet wide and six feet high, it had once been a freigh car of the Manila Railroad Company before the war and could fit only 50-60 people. But Japanese soldiers forcibly squeezed in 150-160 using rifle butts and bayonets. The captives, whose only source of ventilation was a slit on the door, suffocated in the virtual over under the tropical heat. Many of them died in their upright positions, their bodies giving up on constricted space which had been polluted with excrement, urine and vomit. A 70-meter obelisk, built to offset the grim history of Capas, symbolizes peace among Filipinos, the Japanese and Americans.
For further information, visit http://home.pacbell.net/fbaldie/Battling_Bastards_of_Bataan.html.
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Excerpts from www.pasyalan.net:
Capas, the terminus of the famous "Bataan Death March"
Capas is a 1st class municipality in the province of Tarlac, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 95,219 people in 18,333 households.
The municipality contains the Capas National Shrine which was built and is maintained by the Philippine government as a memorial to the Filipino and American soldiers who died in Camp O' Donnell at the end of the Bataan Death March. This is an important site related to Veterans Day in the Philippines, every 9 April, the anniversary of the surrender of the combined US and Philippine forces to the Japanese in 1942.
The Capas National Shrine in Capas, Tarlac was built and is maintained by the Philippine government as a memorial to the Filipino and American soldiers who died in Camp O' Donnell at the end of the Bataan Death March. This is an important site related to Veterans' Day in the Philippines (Araw ng Kagitingan), every 9 April, the anniversary of the surrender of the combined US and Philippine forces to the Japanese in 1942.
The area around where the Bataan Death March ended was proclaimed by President Corazon Aquino to become Capas National Shrine on December 7, 1991. The shrine encompasses 54 hectares of parkland, 35 hectares of which have been planted with rows of trees to represent each of the deceased. On April 9, 2003, a new memorial wall and obelisk was unveiled. The 70-meter obelisk towers above the grounds of the former interment camp. The obelisk is surrounded by a black marble wall engraved with the names of the Filipinos and Americans known to have died at the location. On the three large wall segments that almost encircle the obelisk, there are statistics about the total numbers of prisoners and deaths, together with poems for peace.
Nearby is a small museum and a smaller monument built by an American group calling themselves the "Battling Bastards of Bataan", honoring the American dead of the period.
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Remembering Capas
The area of the shrine originated as a cantonment center for military training of Filipino youth in 1941. On July 15, 1941, on orders from US President Roosevelt, it became a mobilization center for the 71st Division, Philippine Army, USAFFE. After the fall of Bataan, the camp was transformed into a POW Camp in mid-April 1942. Renamed Capas POW Camp, an estimated 60,500 Filipino and American POWs were marched here, sick and dying from disease, injuries, and maltreatment. By July 25, 1942 an estimated 30,000 had died here. The camp became part of the Clark Air Base Military Reservation, and then was turned over to the Philippine Government on April 9, 1982.
A proclamation by then President Corazon Aquino in December 1991 kicked off the conversion of the site into the shrine it is now. Built and maintained by the Philippine government, the shrine stands as a monument to the Filipino and American soldiers who died in Camp O’Donnell at the end of the Bataan Death March. Encompassing 54 hectares of parkland, 35 hectares have been planted with rows of trees to represent each of the fallen.
Last April 9, 2003, a new memorial wall of black marble and a 70-meter tall obelisk were unveiled. The memorial wall is engraved with the names of the Filipinos and Americans known to have died there, statistics about the total numbers of prisoners and deaths, and poems extolling peace.
The wall is divided into three segments to represent the Filipino, American, and Japanese people. The obelisk’s soaring height is meant to signify of all those groups’ great desire for world peace. The tall black structure stands as the shrine’s centerpoint, towering over the grounds of the former interment camp and visible from the entire Capas area. A small monument built by an American group calling themselves the “Battling Bastards of Bataan” honoring the American war casualties, a museum, and meeting area also lie within the area.
The Lay of the Land
On the way to and from the shrine, one can follow the path delineated by the Bataan Death March Markers. The final mileage markers of death march are located outside the shrine, at kilometers 111, 100 and 109. Each marker was donated by a private individual or organization and is listed on the rear of the marker. The front indicates the mileage of the death march, with 0 km being the start at Bataan.
The Esplanade is a wide paved walkway extending from the shrine’s main gate to the central obelisk area, with a line of flag poles stretching on either side. It is reminiscent of the Mall in Washington DC, except that in this case the obelisk is black with striking carved flourishes instead of plain white. Surrounded by lush greenery, the dramatic lines and perspectives struck by the various monumental elements create an atmosphere of both serenity and majesty.
To the east of the Esplanade is a field containing a replica of a POW Camp constructed for the 2003 dedication. The replica includes two guard towers and a prisoner’s quarters building. To the west is the nature park with rows of trees planted as living memorials and also to promote environmental consciousness. A few kilometers from the shrine itself is the new Camp O’ Donnel which now serves as one of the headquarters for the modern day Philippines army. (Credit: What’s On/Expat)
One of our guides around the shrine was Defender Atty. Rafael Estrada, Founder and First Supreme Councilor of the DBC, a survivor of the prison camp and a highly respected driving force among all the veterans. He proudly toured us around the garden planted and tended by the DBC Foundation, nimbly crossing the hanging bridge that dangles over the river from which he and his fellow prisoners took their water. “We owe this river our life,” he stated, pointing out that after the memorial, the bridge is the most visited spot within the shrine. Veterans and survivors come to Capas to look back at an unforgettable period in their lives and bring with them their children and grandchildren to make them better appreciate our current freedoms. Generations have been raised with an ever-fading memory of the war, and it takes a trip to monuments such as these to put history into sharp focus. From around 50,000 survivors after the war, the DBC can now muster only around 400 at each get-together. But even when these hardcore old-timers have been laid to rest, awaiting the low clear reveille of God, the DBC is sure to keep soldiering on, for generations to come.
Central Azucarera de Tarlac (CAT)
San Miguel, Tarlac City
Known in the Philippine sugar industry as CAT, is an integrated manufacturing plant producing both raw and refined sugar, alcohol, liquid carbon dioxide and yeast. The factory is located in a 50-hectare land located inside the Luisita Agro-Industrial Complex in San Miguel, Tarlac City, Tarlac. For more details, log on to http://www.cat-luisita.com/index.html
Makabulos Republic
Tarlac City, Tarlac
In 1898, with the promulgation of a constitution, the Makabulos Republic was established by a revolutionary assembly in Tarlac led by Francisco Makabulos. The body called for continued struggle against the Spaniards.
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