A MONTH before the celebration of the Araw ng Kagitingan (Valour Day) on April 9, 2021, the Capas National Shrine was reopened to the public after almost a year of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Scores of tourists, including cyclists, were spotted Sunday, March 14, 2021, inside the shrine, which was once a concentration camp for American and Filipino soldiers during World War II.
Shrine Curator Darwin Campo said the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office ordered the opening of the shrines, including the Capas National Shrine, Mount Samat National Shrine, Corregidor Island National Park, to the public starting March 5, 2021.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases allowed the opening of shrines and museums, the curator said.
Campo said they are strictly enforcing health and safety protocols inside the shrine.
Visitors without face masks and shields will not be allowed to enter the shrine, according to the curator.
Campo also cited some of the rules to maintain the solemnity and serenity of the shrine.
These included the prohibition of shouting within 100 meters from the obelisk, bicycling inside the Heroes Wall and Esplanade, playing music within the Heroes Wall, and walking and jogging within the obelisk, among others.
Araw ng Kagitingan or Bataan Day is a national observance that commemorates the fall of Bataan during World War II.