A Trip to Mariveles : Death March Starting Point

I’m pretty sure that you guys have read about the Bataan Death March during your high school days. This part of history can be read in our text books.  It is one of the most tragic moment in Philippine history which took place in Bataan during the Second World War.  In this event, 60 to 80,000 Filipino and American prisoners of war were forced to be transferred by Imperial Japanese Army from Mariveles, Bataan to Capaz, Tarlac.  It was a 97 km march which was characterized by severe physical abuse. It resulted to a tragic death of estimated amount of 2,500–10,000 Filipino and 100–650 American prisoners.My recent tour in Mariveles  was more about trekking and swimming but I’m so glad that our host added a historically relevant site in our itinerary. Although we briefly stayed in this spot, i’m still grateful to witness one of the Death march markers.The one we have seen is somehow special as it is the KM00 Death March Markers. There are 138 Death March Markers scattered all through out Bataan, Pampanga and Tarlac.  This particular shrine marks the starting point of the Death March. Interestingly, there are two Zero KM Death march markers, one is located in the Free port town in Mariveles and the other one in the beach town of Bagac.Not too far from the shrine are two historical markers (one translated in Tagalog and the other one in English). The markers state the history of the Bataan Death March and the tragic fate of the prisoners.Behind the two markers is a huge mural of Philippine Flag.The Fallen Soldier symbol near the first Death March Marker.
A view from the Port

If you guys are looking for affordable Hotels or Inns to stay during your trip in Bataan, kindly check our list of Affordable Hotels in Bataan to see which hotel will suit your budget.