IN line with the recent celebration of the 79th Fall of Corregidor anniversary, the Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB) launched a coffee-table book, titled Mandirigma-Uniforms and Equipment of The Filipino Warrior, 1935-1945, which tells the heroism of freedom-fighting Filipinos during World War II (WWII).Penned by Albert Labrador, Tony Feredo, Donn Fernandez and Dondi Limgenco, and edited by Dr. Ricardo T. Jose of the University of the Philippines (UP), Mandirigma is packed with high-resolution, large format photographs, featuring both reenacted scenes shot from 2009 to 2021 and actual vintage WWII pictures.
The photographs were vetted by several experts, including Dr. Ricardo Jose of the UP History Department, and Brig. Gen. Resty Aguilar (ret), who is now the executive director of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.
Sen. Richard J. Gordon congratulated the people behind this project for promoting Philippine history, as it recounts the Filipino version of the resistance of war veterans to Japanese military invaders.
The lawmaker shared that his own late father James Leonard Tagle Gordon fought the Japanese forces, while his great-grandfather Col. Jose Tagle had fought the American troops during the Philippine-American War.
Dr. Jose was hopeful that the book will encourage the Filipino youth to be more interested in the country’s historic past. He also wanted the young people in Japan to know the accurate version of the Second World War, which some of their elders and rightwing politicians still do not teach to them.
Agreeing with him, Gen. Ernesto Carolina noted that the Philippines should chronicle the events of WWII from the Filipino soldiers’ point of view, not just highlighting the Americans’ role or from the Japanese version.
The book depicts the lives of hundreds of thousands of men and women who served and died for the country during the devastating war. Unknown to many, there were numerous military units during the time, such as the United States Army Forces in the Far East, the Philippine Army, the Philippine Constabulary, the Philippine Scouts, as well as hundreds of guerrilla groups nationwide from the Commonwealth period to the Japanese Occupation and the Liberation time.
“As a son of a World War II veteran, the publication of this unique World War II book fills me with such pride as this is another means to show how we as Filipinos continue to honor the legacy and sacrifice of our Filipino WWII veterans,” said PVB Chairman Roberto F. de Ocampo.
PVB is owned by WWII veterans and their heirs. The bank has been supporting various projects over the years to preserve and promote their heroic stories and legacy. As a contribution to the 2021 Philippine Veterans Week, the bank tied up with the creators of Mandirigma to publish the book. The kick off event was held recently during the Pandesal Forum at the Kamuning Bakery Café in Quezon City.
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Will this book be available outside the Philippines ? Maybe on Amazon for history buffs in the USA .