Remembering Corregidor

Corregidor — also known as “The Rock” for its rocky landscape and formidable fortifications and multiple-gun batteries — along with Caballo Island, divide the entrance of Manila Bay into the North and South Channel. The tadpole-shaped island, with its tail running eastward — about 6.5 km long and about 2.0 km wide at its widest — has a total land area of approximately 900 hectares. Corregidor Island is divided into four sections: topside, middleside, bottomside and tailside.

The island’s highest point — the Lighthouse Complex on the topside section — is at 180 m and houses one of the oldest landmarks on the island. The Spanish-era lighthouse was first lit in 1853, and in 1897, was upgraded with a new lighting apparatus to extend its range to 53 km. In World War II, the lighthouse was damaged during the siege of Corregidor, but was later reconstructed in the 1950s with a different design and stands on the same spot where the first lighthouse once stood. The whole lantern of the lighthouse was recently replaced by the Philippine Coast Guard to run on solar power.

“The Rock” played an important role during the invasion and liberation of the Philippines from Japanese forces in World War II. Heavily bombarded in the latter part of the war, the ruins left on the island serve as a military memorial to American, Filipino and Japanese soldiers who served or lost their lives on the island. Most of the war-ravaged buildings have not been restored, and left how it was after the war in reverence to the Filipino and American soldiers who died there.

Corregidor’s guns have been silent for over half a century now — and it is the fervent hope of those who had seen the ravages of war that they remain so forever.

April 9 is designated as Araw ng Kagitingan or Day of Valor in the Philippines. This national observance is to commemorate The Fall of Bataan to the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II and to celebrate Corregidor Day.

— with notes from Wikipedia