New Clark City, Tarlac—A day before National Heroes’ Day, almost a hundred cyclists got the chance to traverse a historic route where the sacrifices of 80,000 soldiers paved the way for the country’s freedom.
Bikers from Bataan, Pampanga, Tarlac, and nearby provinces pedaled along the trail traversed by the country’s World War 2 heroes in a fun ride for a cause dubbed, “Ride for Valor,” last August 28, 2022.
The “Ride for Valor,” a non-competitive 160-kilometer-long bike ride raised funds to save the historical markers erected to immortalize the sacrifices of the war heroes. The funds will be turned over to the Filipino-American Memorial Endowment (FAME) a non-government organization that maintains the kilometer markers of the Bataan Death March from Mariveles, Bataan to Capas, Tarlac.
“One of the first riders who came here said ‘sa wakas nakatapos din ako,’ so you can just imagine what the heroes of the death march went through… Tired, weak, hungry, sick… but they were able to complete 160 kilometers, which our participants had done today,” said Philippine Veteran’s Bank Chief Executive Officer Renato Claravall during the final stop of the fun ride which started at the KM 0 marker in Mariveles, Bataan and ended at the New Clark City in Tarlac.
The ride is part of the 30th anniversary of the Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB). PVB is a commercial bank owned by World War II veterans and their families. As part of its charter, PVB allocates 20% of its annual net income for the benefit of its shareholders.
“On a personal level, this is something close to my heart, I get goosebumps just talking about it because both my parents were WW2 veterans. But for the company, this is really what we want with events like these from Veterans Bank, we want to keep the memory of their sacrifices alive for the future generations to appreciate,” Claravall added.
This year’s Ride for Valor is actually the first time that event organizers invited cyclists to join the festivities as previous iterations of the yearly commemorations include Freedom Run for marathoners, the Freedom Trail, and the Ride for Valor for motorcycle riders.
“We chose cycling because nauso siya noong pandemic, so it is just fitting that our first post-pandemic activity namin is connected to cycling,” said Mike Villa-Real, Vice president for Communications of PVB.
“But more than that, we also want to develop activities that are more inclusive, ibig sabihin, people can play part of it and at the same time, learn from it.,” added Villa-Real.
The historical fun ride for a cause had four pitstops where participants didn’t only have the chance to recharge and rest up but also learn from quick talks and historical reenactments of the Death March.
Pitstop number one was at Mt. Samat Shrine or Dambana ng Kagitingan followed by the Bunker at the Balanga Provincial Capitol before the party took a break for lunch which then proceeded to the San Fernando Train Station.
There were also optional stops for the riders which included Stotsenberg Memorial in Clark and Bamban Historical Museum en route to the Capas National Shrine and then the finish line at NCC.
Meanwhile, Atty. Rolando Villaflor of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office graced the event and thanked PVB for coming up with events to further sustain the legacy of the country’s veterans.
“Way back 2008, I was also a participant in a similar route from Mariveles to Capas. But at that time, wala pa kaming sistemang kagaya nito. But I thank PVB for this event, I know the feeling of our bikers today, napakahirap matapos ng 160 kilometers or so. Salamat po sa pagalaala sa ating mga beterano,” Villaflor said.
In the past, Bataan Death March markers had been destroyed, uprooted, and neglected due to drainage and other road projects, according to PVB. Ten (10) Death March historical markers in Mariveles, and four (4) in Limay, Bataan have to be relocated soon due to road widening and other repairs.
The Death March markers serve as a reminder of the route taken by Filipino soldiers who defended the country against Japanese forces during World War II some 80 years ago. About 10,000 brave soldiers died along the route; many of the bodies were never identified or recovered.
“What I said to the riders was to keep safe during the travel, huwag masyadong paspas, this is just a fun ride so let’s enjoy the sites and I hope may makuha kayong konting aral sa ating kasaysayan,” said Villa-Real.
“With this little thing we started we hope that it will snowball as people become more mature, and more aware of their history I think when they will understand it a little more and a way that they will understand history better,” he added.