The Philippines commemorates the 79th Leyte Gulf Landing on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023. Ret. BrigGen. Joseph Cabides lit the urn of remembrance for the fallen troops while the Boy Scouts of the Philippines hold a portrait of the 19 surviving veterans in ceremonies in Leyte. Tingog Partylist Rep. Jude Acidre described the event as a monument to the bravery of American and Filipino soldiers who battled together to free the Philippines from the three-year Japanese occupation. The Leyte Gulf Landing also marked the fulfillment of a promise by then US Gen. Douglas MacArthur who, upon being forced to retreat, said, "I shall return." And he did in October 1944, defeating Japan and re-establishing US presence in the Asia-Pacific. In a tribute to the late general, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Hae Kyong Yu and Leyte Gov. Carlos Jericho Petilla laid a wreath on the MacArthur Shrine.
PHOTOS AND VIDEO BY MOISES CRUZ