PILAR, Bataan — The Mt. Samat Underground Museum located under the colonnade of the Shrine of Valor in Pilar, Bataan is now open to the public.
It is now called the “Bataan World War II Museum and the Legacy of Bataan and its Heroes” which was modernized with the help of a ₱19-million in funding from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).
Its reopening to the public was signaled when President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. visited it as part of the 83rd Anniversary of Valor Day.
According to Mt. Samat Flagship Tourism Enterprise Zone Administrator Francis Theodore Initorio, the said museum is part of the construction of the Shrine of Valor which was initiated in 1966 as an offering by then President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. to the Filipinos who gave their lives and sacrificed during World War II.
It was first opened to the public on April 9, 1970.
Aside from more vivid exhibit content and artifact displays, it will also provide an interactive experience for students, researchers, and visiting tourists.
The new storyline exhibit has been made more comprehensive and easier to understand.
Emphasis was placed on Bataan’s role in the history of World War II in the Philippines, the great contributions of local heroes, and a series of battles in the province during that time.
Each gallery is placed in the correct chronological order of events from the outbreak of the war to its end in 1945.
The Mt. Samat Underground Museum can be explored in 20 to 30 minutes if the storyline based on the eight major exhibit displays is followed properly.
The modernization of the museum is part of the five-year Redevelopment Plan of Mt. Samat.
Mt. Samat is now a full-fledged flagship tourism enterprise zone under the supervision of TIEZA, in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act 9593 or the National Tourism Policy Act of 2009.
