Dambana ng Kagitingan at Mt. Samat

It was in year 2000 when I first came to see ang Dambana ng Kagitingan, situated at the peak of Mount Samat in Diwa, Pilar, Bataan. I  was with my friends, Jane and Jingle, and our classmates in graduate school. 

Dambana ng Kagitingan or Shrine of Valor was built to commemorate the lives of the soldiers who gave their lives for the freedom of Filipinos against the tyranny of the Japanese.

A minimal fee of twenty pesos for adults, and ten pesos for students is collected upon entrance of the vehicle. There's also a parking fee of thirty pesos. Another ten pesos per head is collected if you wish to go at the peak to see the marvelous sight 300 or more feet below.

There are two ways to reach the base of the Memorial Cross. An alternate road for those who wish to bring the car or by footpath. We chose the latter for more adventure.

Pictures abound inside the museum, showing the history, its pain and glory of the past. Arms and ammunitions used in that era are displayed all over the museum.

How to get there:

We left Manila at 5am, with few stop overs, we reached Mt. Samat in less than 2 hours. Although the gps was leading us to take a different route, we took SCTEX then exit at Dinalupihan. It was a good call as we didn't have to pass town after town which will make the trip more tedious.

It is best to visit in the cold months (October, November, and February) as it gets very hot starting at 9am during summer season. On the other hand, my brother visited on Christmas season, he said it was foggy so they were not able get better shots of the shrine.