By Dr. Jun Ynares

Published Apr 8, 2026 12:05 am | Updated Apr 7, 2026 06:12 pm

THE VIEW FROM RIZAL

Tomorrow, the 9th of April, the nation will celebrate “Araw ng Kagitingan.”

The root word of “Kagitingan” is “giting,” and is translated in English as “bravery, valor, courage, or heroism.” By way of review, the date officially became the nationwide celebration of the Day of Valor in 1987, when the late President Cory Aquino signed Executive Order 203, changing the celebration's erstwhile label from “Bataan Day.”

While this may not be a loudly celebrated day, it is as relevant as ever. After all, our individual and shared “Kagitingan” matters today, especially as the world faces hard times and an uncertain future brought about by recent developments on the global stage.

We recall that the holiday's previous name contained a controversial reference to the historic “Fall of Bataan.” When it was still referred to by that name, a growing number of Filipinos of the post-war era started asking this question:

“Why do we, Filipinos, celebrate a ‘Fall’?”

Several years ago, I recall asking our elders in Rizal province about the former reference to the April 9 celebration. They offered a profound insight. They said that what was then referred to as the “Fall of Bataan” was actually a “win moment,” a “glorious occasion,” and a time to celebrate the “uncommon valor” of the Filipino soldier and of every Filipino.

Once again, let me share their perspective.

According to them, what Filipinos did in the events leading up to that infamous “Fall” was important to the peace-loving world.

They told us that Bataan – that peninsula west of Metro Manila – was the designated site of a “last stand” against invading forces. They said that at that point in the Second World War, the Philippines was the last country in the Far East left standing. The military forces made up of Filipinos and Americans were to give their all in a bid to delay the total victory of the invaders.

They were able to do so with just a meager supply of ammunition, little food, and water. They had to rely on pure courage and on the promise of an American general that he “shall return.”

The gallant stand in Bataan made by what was then known as the USAFFE (United States Armed Forces in the Far East) resulted in the deaths of thousands and the eventual surrender of some 80,000 wounded, sick, famished Filipinos soldiers who eventually joined the equally infamous “Death March” from Mariveles, Bataan to San Fernando, Pampanga.

Historians say that by holding off the enemy for three months, the 120,000 Filipino and American troops significantly delayed the enemy's advance. This was the last part of the region still resisting. By doing so, they diminished the adversary’s capability to approach and attack the almost indefensible northern coast of Australia.

Yes. The Fall of Bataan prevented the Fall of Australia and a total defeat of the Allied forces.

Our elders also point out that the defense of Bataan was a showcase of the Filipino’s sterling character. They say we have an enormous capacity for pain and suffering. We are a people who do not allow setbacks to bring us down and keep us on the ground. We do not surrender. We just keep fighting.

Today, this quality is often called the “Adversity Quotient,” or AQ, which applies to modern challenges as much as it did in the past.

AQ is a score, much like IQ and EQ. The AQ score helps one understand their ability to cope with life’s adversities. It shows how resilient one is. “Resilience” is what others call the “bounce back” power.

The Filipinos who stood up against superior forces displayed “Kagitingan.”

They showed the world they are not daunted by adversity. Scarcity of resources does not dictate how they fight the battle. They always rise after a brief, even if nasty, fall.

We do not know how long the present “adversity” will last. The powers that have triggered the latest round of global conflict have yet to tell the rest of the collateral-damaged world what the endgame is. Meanwhile, we will have to rely on our remarkable Adversity Quotient. We will have to adjust, innovate, and be creative to make it through these difficult times – just as our forebears did during the War.

We join the rest of the nation in remembering and saluting the uncommon valor of the Filipino soldiers who fought in Bataan in 1942. We also honor every Filipino fighting their own battle today.

(The author is a Doctor of Medicine, an entrepreneur and the mayor of Antipolo City, former Rizal governor, and DENR assistant secretary, LLDA general manager. Email: antipolocitygov@gmail.com)

Unforgettable lessons

by Dr. Jun Ynares, Manila Bulletin

THE VIEW FROM RIZAL

Dr. Jun Ynares

“What were the most important lessons you learned from your teachers?”

Many years ago, while we were governor of Rizal Province, we were invited to speak at an elementary school graduation ceremony. While waiting for my turn at the podium, one of the graduating students asked us that question: “Governor Jun, what did you learn in elementary school?”

We had no ready answer to that question, but that innocent query got us thinking. When our turn to speak came, we decided to junk the prepared speech and share instead our thoughts on the question posed to us by the graduating elementary student.

Here were three important lessons our teachers taught us and which we shared to the graduating class that evening. The best lessons I learned from my teachers were:

First, “shut up and listen.”

Second, “raise your hand if you know the answer.”

Third, “finished or not finished pass your paper”.

The mention of these lessons elicited laughter from the audience of graduating students, their parents and the teachers present. Why not? No one thought they were lessons. They sounded more like the angry admonitions we got from our teachers. When we hear those words, they bring back memories of the serious face of a stern classroom teacher.

We may have heard those words many times when we were in school. We heard them so often that they became our LSS (last song syndrome). They became embedded in our memory that we cannot forget where we heard them and from whom.
For us, they were lessons.

We told the audience that day that those words from our elementary school teachers were some of the wisest we heard. They were so wise that they helped us become the public servant we are today. Those were some of the best advice that an aspiring leader would ever get and they came from our teachers.
We explained to our audience why and how.

“Shut up and listen” helps one develop an important quality of a leader: empathy. There is a mistaken notion that the leader is one who speaks most often and tells much. What a leader says has meaning only if he or she listens first. People want to feel and know that they have been listened to. It makes them feel important. We learned that people remember those who listened to them more than they would remember those who merely spoke before them.

Listening is a service we do for others. Thanks to our teacher, we learned to shut up and listen to the people we serve.

“Raise your hand when you know the answer” nurtures in a person the spirit of volunteerism, and the courage to stand up and be counted. We learned that the question the world most often asks us is this: “Who is willing to serve?” It takes boldness to raise one’s hand when that question is asked.

Thanks to our teachers, we have been raising our hands for the past two decades or so each time our country calls us to service. Public service exacts a heavy toll. Remembering our teachers’ lessons helps one remember that there should be no regret when the difficult times come. After all, we “raised our hand” when we heard the call.

“Finished or not finished, pass your paper” is a constant reminder to one that the world will not wait for us and that time is a finite, limited, scarce resource. When we embark on a task or mission, we must do our best to finish them and finish them quickly. Deadlines are a permanent feature of life, especially of life in public service. Postponing for tomorrow what we can do and can finish today would be a big mistake.
We have attended many courses, workshops and seminars on governance and administration.

Nothing beats what we learned from our classroom teachers. They are proof that, indeed, teachers prepare today the leaders of tomorrow – the young people who someday will “shut up and listen” to their countrymen, “raise their hand” when called upon to serve” and who will always remember that they will have to “pass their paper, finished or not finished”.
Thank you, teachers.

We join you in the celebration of World Teachers Day today as we salute you for your service to our Nation and to the World.

*For feedback, please email it to antipolocitygov@gmail.com or send it to Block 6 Lot 10 Sta. Barbara 1 cor. Bradley St., Mission Hills Subd., Brgy. San Roque, Antipolo City, Rizal.