October 2, 2023

Get ready to travel back in time this September as the Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB) joins Baguio City’s commemoration of the surrender of Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita 78 years ago.

The stories of World War II through PVB’s engaging World War II Traveling Exhibit will be held at the Baguio Convention and Cultural Center on Sept. 3 and 12.

Entitled “War of Our Fathers,” the exhibit honors the bravery of Filipino soldiers and the resilience of the Filipino people during World War II through photographs, memorabi-lia, and artifacts.

One highlight is the detailed look at Baguio City during the 1940s Japanese occupation, leading up to its liberation upon General Yamashita’s surrender on Sept. 3, 1945.

The exhibit will open on Sept. 3 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to be led by PVB President and Acting CEO Renato A. Claravall with invited dignitaries Baguio City Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong, Defense Usec. and Administrator of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office Reynaldo B. Mapagu, and U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Mary Kay Carlson.

The PVB WWII Traveling Exhibit now incorporates new panels that welcome the entry of post-WW II veterans and retirees of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, along with their surviving spouses, orphans, and compulsory heirs, as PVB stockholders.

Since its inaugural year in 2006, PVB’s WW II Traveling Exhibit has gone around the Philippines to showcase local war stories and the heroism and bravery of local heroes.

The exhibit aims to increase, if not reawaken, the awareness of young Filipinos on how Filipino soldiers fought during WWII to gain the freedom and independence that the country now enjoys.

The exhibit is open to the public from Sept. 3 to 12 for free. The public is encouraged to  view the exhibit and honor the past, learn from it, and value the freedom they enjoy today.

For updates, check PVB’s official website or contact PVB’s Marketing Communications Department. – PIO release