This sprawling monument honors Filipino heroes and martyrs in the their centuries-old fight for freedom.
Bas-relief sculptures (seen as dark panels in this photo) depict the different eras in this struggle, starting from Lapu-Lapu's slaying of Ferdinand Magellan, all the way up to World War II and the more recent EDSA Revolution in 1986 which overthrew a 14-year old dictatorship. [more below]
A close-up shot of one of the bas-relief panels showing Filipinos in action. In this World War II scene, Filipino and American troops battle with Japanese Imperial Army soldiers.
Representative of a soldier's makeshift gravesite marker, this gun-and-helmet configuration located on the main plaza of the Filipino Heroes' Memorial. It is a replica of the one at Kilometer Zero in Bataan. Kilometer Zero was one of the starting points of the infamous Death March.
The Philippine Flag flies high on a flagstaff, juxtaposed against fleecy clouds wafting through a clear blue sky. The statue represents the Filipino, who, armed with this plow and rifle, seeks to defend his country against invaders-- both from within and from without. The angled ramparts are suggestive of old Spanish-era structures in the old Walled City of Intramuros. Note: The statue of the farmer-warrior has since been replaced by the statue of Pres. Manuel L. Quezon.
Beside the Filipino Heroes Memorial s the Statue of Sergio Osmeña, Vice-President of the Philippine Commonwealth during President Manuel Quezon's term. Sergio Osmeña assumed the Presidency upon Pres. Quezon's death on Aug.1, 1944 in Saranac Lake, New York. Pres. Osmeña and other top Philippine Commonwealth government officials were then based in the United States during that period, and functioning as a government-in-exile during the Japanese Occupation.
Shown here is the Monument to the Filipino Woman in its new location at the Filipino Heroes' Memorial. To see how it looked like in its original location, please refer to the clickable island map.
ISLAND MAP.