We were walking towards the Manila Cathedral at dusk when I noticed this moving monument at Plazuela de Santa Isabel along Calle Anda in Intramuros. I came closer to read what was etched on the black granite.
Memorare - Manila 1945
This memorial is dedicated to those innocent victims of war. Many of whom went nameless and unknown to a common grave, or never even knew a grave at all. Their bodies have been consumed by fire or crushed to dust beneath the rubble of ruins.
Let this monument be the gravestone for each and everyone of the over 100,000 men, women, children and infants killed in Manila during its battle Liberation, February 3 - March 3, 1945. We have not forgotten them, nor shall we ever forget.
May they rest in peace as part now of the sacred ground of this city, the Manila of our affections.
The inscription on the marker reads:
This monument is erected in memory of
the more than 100,000 defenseless civilians who were killed during the
Battle for the Liberation of Manila between February 3 and March 3,1945.
They were mainly victims of heinous acts perpetrated by the Japanese
Imperial Forces and the casualties of the heavy artillery barrage by the
American Forces. The Battle for Manila at the end of World War II was
one of the most brutal episode in the history of Asia and the Pacific.
The non-combatant victims of that tragic battle will remain forever in
the hearts and minds of the Filipino people.
I hope these young girls playing by the monument would learn the lessons in history, keep them alive and not take for granted the innocent lives lost from the battle to liberate their hometown 67 years ago.
A monument dedicated to non-combatant victims of the last war erected in 1995.
