Filvets in photo exhibit marking heroes' day in Washington

Filipino World War II veterans starred in a weeklong photo exhibit marking National Heroes' Day in Washington D.C. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the exhibit “underscores the sacrifices of Filipino soldiers in defense of freedom." “Through this exhibit, we remember the great sacrifice made so that our nation can live in freedom. Through this exhibit too, we reaffirm our pledge to never forget the lessons of war that has claimed so many lives," Philippine Ambassador to Washington Willy Gaa said in an article on the DFA website (www.dfa.gov.ph). The exhibit started August 27 and will run until September 4 at the Carlos P. Romulo Hall of the Embassy of the Philippines. It is in partnership with the Camera Club of the Philippines of Manila, the FotoSeven Group of California, and the host organization, SINAG American Society of Philippine Photographers of Metro New York. With the title “Sonata Our Heroes: Unsung Filipino Veterans of WW II," the exhibit will feature present-day photos of Filipino veterans as well as historical materials on the situation in the Pacific prior to December 1941 and during World War II. "A sonata is by definition, an instrumental musical composition, intended for a piano solo, in three or four movements that vary in tempo and key… The sonata, I believe, best reflects the trials and triumphs of our heroes through these years. As we look upon the images presented to us, let us open our eyes and ears to the stories that they tell. The images will move us and make us listen to the music within us – that individual music that is a part of the compelling narrative of our people’s heroism," Gaa said. The exhibit will likewise feature a first person account of the infamous Bataan Death March by the late veteran Victor Arcega Ruff. “I invite everyone to be part of the exhibit and to share in the experience the photos and the encounter with our veterans," Gaa said. “Sonata for Our Heroes" was first presented at the Philippine Consulate General, New York in June. Exhibit director René Ner and co-director Robert Pérez De Tagle said the photo exhibit pays homage to the legacy of Filipino World War II veterans, noting the broad support from photography stakeholders for the exhibit. Ner and Perez de Tagle described Sonata as “the only multi-regional/collaboration of photographers located in the Philippines, New York, New Jersey, and California, working with Fil-Vets or families of veterans in those areas and now in DC." Several Filipino veterans have been invited to join the Exhibit as special guests: Alfredo Diaz, Jose Genito, Jose Red, Pablo Barros, Nicomedes Casino, Espiridion Villanueva, Jr. and Walter Cassingal of New Jersey/New York; the first Filipino veteran to receive a lump-sum check, Mr. Alberto Bacani, and others from Metro DC, such as Celestino Almeda, Guillermo Rumingan, Angelico Tugado, Potenciano Dy and Prudencio Damasco. Supporting the exhibit are the Filipino American National Historical Society, NJ Chapter, led by its President Nestor Enriquez. - GMANews.TV