Pangatian Concentration Camp and Shrine

Let me just share a part of the city where I presently live. I have decided to do a post on this one mainly because of two things. First, my City is not gifted geographically in terms of natural attractions. There are no mountains, no beaches, no cliffs but just plain plateau of rice fields everywhere. Secondly, there is a very strong possibility that I have to move to another place because of my new profession, so I might actually kinda miss my beloved place.
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Cabanatuan City is famous (infamous?) for two things. My City is considered as the tricycle capital of the Philippines with almost twenty thousand units plying and congesting its streets. Seldom do I hear complaints from outsiders that tricycle drivers in Cabanatuan are cheats and undisciplined. Well, I am not defending them in any way because I have been victimized by them too but come to think of it, my City, and the Nueva Ecija Province in general, do not really offer them any alternative jobs. There are no factories and economic zones in the province unlike our neighboring provinces of Pampanga, Bulacan, Tarlac, Zambales and Bataan. Plus, there isn't really a tourist spot to speak of like Aurora and Zambales. So, the Cabanatuenos, whether they like it or not, resort to driving tricycles all day and all night.
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Cabanatuan City is also famous for its longaniza. It is a native sausage made from ground pork with lots of garlic. Whenever there are visitors in our place, we strongly recommend our longaniza as pasalubong. We advise them however to minimize their intake because these native sausages pack a lot of cholesterol and fats.
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If you will visit Cabanatuan and you are a lover of history, then you should visit the Pangatian Shrine and the Pangatian Concentration Camp. These two historical sites are adjacent to one another but are maintained by two separate agencies.
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THE PANGATIAN CONCENTRATION CAMP

The Pangatian Concentration Camp is a project of the Provincial Government of Nueva Ecija and it serves as a memorial park to Filipino soldiers who effectively prevented the Japanese reinforcements from proceeding to the Pangatian Concentration camp thus liberating the 516 allied prisoners of the second world war. The event was considered one of the successful rescue missions of its type in the annals of US military mission.
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The camp contains monuments and memorabilias of the event that transpired during that time. The roof deck of its building contains a large mural of Filipino and American soldiers carrying each other arms-in-arms in battle.
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And to attract younger generations, the camp also has a military-themed playground for kids to play.
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Here are some pictures I have taken of the camp:








THE PANGATIAN SHRINE

Adjacent to the Concentration Camp is the more popular Pangatian Shrine. This shrine commemorates and gives honors to the Filipino and American soldiers who died during the Second World War. This used to be a military training camp for twenty years but was converted into a concentration camp for Allied Prisoners of War during the Japanese occupation. Some of the supervisors of the infamous Bataan Death March from Bataan to Corregidor in April to May 1942 were imprisoned here. The Camp is popular tourist destination area for the veterans of WWII and their families who visit our country.
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Here are some photos of the various monuments and memorial tombs taken in the Shrine:





How to get there? It is always easier if you brought your own vehicle because it is just a smooth and straight 15 minute drive from the City Crossing.
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However, you could rent a tricycle to take you there. It is advisable that you negotiate with the driver first so that no complications may arrive. The current negotiation fare is around twenty pesos per person one way.
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Or you may ride in jeepneys in the City Terminal plying the route of Pangatian-Cabu for a one way fare of about ten pesos only.
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The City of Cabanatuan although not gifted with natural wonders is a City with rich history. It is a City of the brave and the patriots. And I consider myself lucky that I got to live in this warm and gallant city I call home.