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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Defense chief calls for unity to sustain peace

Defense chief calls for unity to sustain peace

Published Sep 3, 2025 06:02 pm
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. delivers a speech during the commemoration of the 80th Victory Day and the National Celebration of Philippine–American Friendship at Camp John Hay in Baguio City on Sept. 3, 2025. (Photo: DND)
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. delivers a speech during the commemoration of the 80th Victory Day and the National Celebration of Philippine–American Friendship at Camp John Hay in Baguio City on Sept. 3, 2025. (Photo: DND)
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. urged Filipinos to work together in building and sustaining peace as the nation marked Victory Day and the National Celebration of Philippine–American Friendship at Camp John Hay in Baguio City on Wednesday, Sept. 3.
Teodoro reminded the public that peace is never permanent unless strengthened by collective effort and sound national foundations.
“So for everyone today, let us thank God for the blessings of peace. However, it will not always be there if we do not work towards a sustainable peace that is founded on principles of law, not multi-polarity, but multilateralism,” he said.
Teodoro also stressed that lasting peace requires stability and strong national foundations built on “a strong backbone of the country” such as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), economy, connectivity, infrastructure, and good governance.
“And this, we will work hand in hand to achieve,” the defense chief noted.
Victory Day in Ifugao commemorates the fall of Japanese Imperial Army General Tomoyuki Yamashita.
Refusing Emperor Hirohito’s order to surrender, Yamashita’s Shobu Group continued to resist against combined United States forces and Filipino guerrillas, particularly the United States Armed Forces in the Philippines–Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL), which included many Igorot fighters, according to records from the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO).
Pushed out of Manila, the PVAO said that Yamashita retreated to the mountains of Ifugao, where his forces were cornered after weeks of bombardment. On Sept. 2, 1945, he was captured in Kiangan, Ifugao, and flown to Baguio City, where he formally signed the surrender documents the following day at Camp John Hay on the following day, Sept. 3, 1945.
The historic event also marked the end of the World War II after six years, the deadliest conflict in human history that claimed an estimated 70 million to 85 million lives, including around one million deaths in the Philippines.
The occasion also underscored the Philippine–American Friendship, reflecting eight decades of shared struggle, sacrifice, and an enduring alliance forged in war and carried forward in peace.
Also present in the commemoration were US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo S. Brawner Jr., National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) Chairperson Prof. Ricky T. Jose Jr., PVAO Administrator Reynaldo B. Mapagu, World War II veterans awardees and their families, and other distinguished guests.
Read: Brawner remembers fallen troops on Victory Day, the event that ended Japanese occupation of PH

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