Every April 9, the country celebrates Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) in honor of the Filipino and American soldiers who bravely fought for the Philippines’ freedom from the Japanese invaders during the World War II in 1942.
The war culminated in the fall of Bataan where approximately 75,000 soldiers were forced to walk for about 145 kilometers or 90 miles from Mariveles, Bataan – the focal point of the Philippines’ resistance against the Japanese forces – to Camp O’Donnell in Capas, Tarlac.
Among those defeated but unbowed soldiers who participated in the infamous “Death March” was Private Juan Aquino Jacob.
Thousands of his comrades have died either of illnesses, starvation, dehydration, exhaustion or physical abuse from the Japanese soldiers during the march but Jacob was a born survivor, and he proved this until the twilight years of his life.
War veteran
A native of Panganiban, Catanduanes, Jacob was only 20 years old when he was called to serve under the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE), a military unit formed by the America in the Philippines at the time Manila was under its colony.
He was called to military training at the former Camp Murphy – now known as Camp Aguinaldo, the General Headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) – in Quezon City to defend the Philippines from the Japanese forces during the onset of the World War II.
Fresh from his teenage years, Jacob was subjected to a rigorous military training at the Santolan Barracks of Camp Murphy before he was formally accepted into the Alpha Company, 52nd Engineer Battalion of the 51st Infantry Division, USAFFE.
Jacob and his comrades trained together, ate together, and fought side-by-side until one by one, his friends got killed in the battle and USAFFE threw in the white flag.
The defense of Bataan lasted for 93 days before officials in command formally surrendered to the Japanese troops on April 9, 1942.
That was Jacob’s first taste of defeat and near-death experience.
After their surrender, Jacob and the weary survivors of the war were ordered by the triumphant Japanese soldiers to walk from Bataan to a concentration camp at Camp O'Donnell in Capas, Tarlac – a staggering 145 kilometers – day in and night out.
But this only proved how strong Jacob’s will to survive was. He endured the inhumane conditions at the concentration camp and eventually escaped to became a guerrilla fighter until the Allied Forces' liberation of the Philippines in 1945.
Life after the war
From the ashes of the war, Jacob managed to rebuilt his life. He continued his secondary studies and worked as a nighttime shift security guard at the National Rice and Corn Corporation in Santa Mesa, Manila.
In 1947, he married his fellow Catanduanes-native Francisca Velasco Vega and they were blessed with seven children.
He completed his Education degree from the Arellano University in Sampaloc, Manila and began his teaching career in his hometown from 1956 to 1979. From fighting for the country’s liberation from its oppressors, Jacob moved to liberate the minds of elementary and high school students from ignorance. He also served as a municipal councilor of Panganiban town from 1980 to 1986.
Jacob lived a full life as a war veteran and a true serviceman. His will to fight was evident especially in the sunset of his life when he survived colon cancer in 2012, and Covid-19 and pneumonia in 2021 before he passed away last March 27, 2022 – less than a month shy of his 102nd birthday.
“Tatay Jacob taught us to do good and be good. His words of advice helped us attain our dreams,” Edna J. Quirante, Private Jacob’s fifth child, recalled.
“Papa taught us to be frugal and to live a simple life. He instilled in us the value of giving and helping others who are in need,” she added.
Quirante said that her father also lived in California, USA for a time to process his veteran pension from the American government and worked as a laundromat aide where he received commendations for his honesty and integrity at work.
“During his free time, he would help homeless people through his volunteer work for the Salvation Army,” Quirante recounted.
Final salute
Last April 2, the Department of National Defense (DND) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) rendered military honors to Private Jacob at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City during his funeral.
His name was among the heroes engraved on the Shrine of Valor in Mount Samat in Pilar, Bataan and at the Capas Shrine in Capas, Tarlac where the gallantry of Filipino and American soldiers who fought and lost their lives in the Battle of Bataan are immortalized.
“Celebrating Araw ng Kagitingan every year is significant because we honor our soldiers who fought for our country, not only those who fought during the World War II but also those involved in all of the previous wars,” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.
Private Jacob was a testament of a Filipino soldier’s commitment to secure the State and protect the people until the end of their lives. It is only right to honor them for their sacrifice so that the Filipino people get to enjoy the freedom that they experience now.