Vista Pinas recently covered the Capas Death March Monument:

The monument is poorly maintained and has become a mere playground and park for the residents of the area. The monument is located along MacArthur Highway about 7 kilometers from Bamban Bridge on the route going to Baguio from Manila. I’m sure a lot of travelers to Baguio have seen this monument but don’t recognize its significance.

I have seen the monument before, and like Eugene I wondered how such an important landmark could be neglected. The Bataan Death March was a dark moment in our history, when nearly a hundred thousand Filipino and American POWs were forced to march over 97 kilometers from Bataan to Capas. Over 25% of the men died on the way, thanks to poor treatment at the hands of their Japanese captors.

I do not intend to generalize the Japanese as monsters. The point is that we should keep this monument well-maintained, to remind future generations of what atrocities men are capable of, and hope that this helps such terrible actions from occuring again. If anyone knows what can be done to help the Capas Death March Monument, I’m all ears.