
A World War II peace memorial in the form of a cenotaph will soon rise at the actual site of the formal surrender of the Japanese military forces to the United States Army at New Site, Brgy. Sta. Rosa in Murcia.
“We all know that during World War II the Japanese surrendered here in Murcia, but the event has not been given its well-deserved significance for some time. When Mr. Modesto Sa-onoy brought up the idea of building a peace memorial here to honor the event, I readily agreed because it has also been one of my dreams,” said Murcia Mayor Gerry M. Rojas, during the groundbreaking for the Negros Peace Memorial on Friday, Aug. 30.
“I learned that the first marker was initiated in 1996 as a Silver Jubilee project of the La Consolacion College Alumni Class 1973 headed by Rudy Reveche, a recognized authority in history, culture and the arts. When we finish this peace memorial, it will become a historical landmark which will attract American, Japanese and Korean tourists,” the mayor said.
Many Koreans also died in Negros during the war, because Korea was a Japanese colony back then and its citizens were conscripted by and forced to fight for the Japanese, he said.
Sa-onoy explained that a cenotaph is an empty tomb in memory of people who died but whose remains could no longer be found. He pointed out that the cenotaph which will be built at New Site will be the only cenotaph in the Philippines.
“It was here at 4:30 in the afternoon of Aug. 30, 1945 that the hostilities between warring nations during World War II ended and peace began in Negros,” Sa-onoy said. He said he will provide more details of the event during the inauguration of the project.
Among the guests during the activity were the mayor’s father, NFSP president Enrique D. Rojas, who was the prime mover for the project, Provincial Tourism Officer Cheryl Decena, Charlie Shin Inhwan who heads the Korean group in Negros, Shigemi and Thelma Watanabe of OISCA-Bago City, Brig.Gen, Orlando Edralin – 303rd Infantry Brigade commander and PMaj. Sherwin Fernandez – Murcia police chief, a press release from Murcia said.
The members of the local chapter of the Veterans Federation of the Philippines and the Women’s Auxiliary Service Sons and Daughters Association, and Retired PA Post President Henry Agarri, were also present.
Demonstrating their full support to the project were Murcia Vice Mayor Johnny Reosura and Sangguniang Bayan Members Pidong Villarosa, Kedy Yu, Bebot Gomez, Hernan Alintana and Anton Gonzaga.*