Over the Christmas holidays, on Melanie's urging, we took a trip to the Dambana ng Kagitingan atop Mount Samat in Bataan. The shrine is a memorial for Filipino and American soldiers who fought for freedom in WWII. It was a leisurely drive for our 3 car convoy, and we got to the shrine at just past 11am. I was pleasantly surprised that the shrine was well kept and that the elevator to the top of the cross was functional.
The mural (above) looked to me like a depiction of a peace offering to the Greek gods; the security guard told me that the stained glass was crafted in Italy (he also said that there were 448 steps from the colonnade to the foot of the cross tower). I also thought that the giant urns (below) were supposed to be lit with the eternal flame, but it seems to me that the Armed Forces of the Philippines doesn't have a budget for all that LPG.
A lot of critics have questioned the rational of putting up a shrine to remember the Fall of Bataan, a military defeat. The critics don't realize that the underdog resistance that the 100,000 strong army put up delayed the invasion and occupation timetable of the Japanese by four months.
The museum at the base of the colonnade has a lot of interesting information, but needs more lighting. Entrance fee is reasonable, if I remember correctly, it was something like P30 per person.
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