Palawan Liberation WWII Manila Landmark and Sites Tour
As we begin our celebration of the Palawan Liberation: 70 Years of Freedom, delegates from the US had an opportunity to visit World War II historical landmarks and witness the deep relationship of US and Philippines.
Together with Ms. Aileen Clemente and Mr. Alberto Santos of Rajah Travel Corporation, we had the pleasure of bringing Mr. David Keith Sarji, Ltc. Alisha Hamel, Mr. Ian Edward Hamel, Mr. Christopher Ingersoll, Ms. Diane Beach and BGen. Steve Beach to the most memorable World War II landmark of Manila.
Tour starts with the visit to Manila American War Memorial, the largest number of graves of any cemetery for US Personel killed during World War II and holds war dead from the Philippines and other allied nations. Afterwards, the US Delegates proceeded to the Nielson Field and Tower, the only pre-existing World War II structure in the Makati Central Business District. It served as the control tower of the Nielson Airport, one of Asia's first international commercial airports.
We then took the delegates to Rizal park passing through Roxas Boulevard (renamed to honor President Manuel Roxas, the fifth president of the Republic of the Philippines. Rizal Park, also known as Luneta, is a landmark dedicated to the country's national hero, Dr Jose Rizal. We continued on to Fort Santiago passing the former location of University of Santo Tomas, largest of several internment camps in the Philippines in which the Japanses interened enemy civilians, mostly Americans.
One the famous sites we visited is Fort Santiago within the walls of Intramuros, where approximately 600 American prisoners of war died of suffocation or hunger after being held in extremely tight quarter in the dungeon.
Later in the afternoon, we contintued to visit the Memorare 45 marker, Manila Cathedral, San Agustin Church and other prominent edifices during World War II including the Shrine of Freedom, a structure dedicated in memory of the war victims.
We capped the Manila tour with cocktails at the roof deck at Bayleaf Hotel and reflected on the events that transpired during the day as we quietly watched the beautiful sunset of Manila Bay.
