Rizal and the Death March

The question of how a celebrated individual and a tragic event, almost half a century apart, are related to each other, may baffle any person.  No, I am not saying that Rizal had anything to do with the Bataan Death March.  Rizal was long gone by the time thousands of POWs marched from Bataan to San Fernando, and onwards to Camp O'Donnel in Capas.  But the two most definitely have something in common.  And the reminder of that commonality is an abandoned 19th Century train station in Barangay Sto. Niņo, City of San Fernando.  It is not an imposing edifice.  But any visitor who happens to pass by will most definitely feel the historicity of the quaint brick structure. 

Governor-General Eulogio Despujol and Manila Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda, inaugurated the San Fernando Train Station on February 23, 1892.  Thus, the station is over one hundred years old.  That very same year, from June 27 to 28, national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal, made a sojourn to four Central Luzon towns namely, Malolos, San Fernando, Tarlac, and Bacolor.  And it was from that very same station that Rizal debarked when he visited both San Fernando and Bacolor.

This visit is noted in Rizal's travel diaries where he writes, "The following day (June 27, 1892), at 6:00 o'clock in the morning, I went to the railroad station to go to Bulacan and Pampanga.  I visited Malolos, San Fernando, and Tarlac and on my return, Bakolod."  At that time, to get to Bacolor via train, one had to get off at San Fernando since Bacolor did not have a train station of its own.  This fact eventually lead to the transfer of the capital of Pampanga from Bacolor to San Fernando.

No arrival honors welcomed our national hero then.  The trip was in fact, done as discreetly as possible to avoid creating any suspicion with the insular government, which was already wary of his motives.  He simply wanted to visit his friends.  Whom he really visited is another story in itself.  And that is subject to the claims and counterclaims of the prominent families of these towns.

But today, this trip of Rizal and the fact that he was at that train station, is already enough to push for the preservation of the structure and its declaration as a historical site.  However, almost half a century later, the Japanese Imperial Army would add yet another page to historicity of the station.

In 1941, San Fernando was occupied by the Japanese forces, and due to its strategic location, they used the town as their base of operations in their assault of Bataan.  In fact, old folk say that the entire block of old houses in the
poblacion was sequestered from their unwilling hosts and blocked-off by the Japanese Army, who used the area for their residences and headquarters.  The Lazatin House served as Gen. Homma's residence, with the imposing Rodriguez Residence serving as his headquarters.  The Tabacalera House was used as the Kempeitai Headquarters, where countless Filipinos were tortured and executed.

The Cuyugan Residence in Del Pilar became the seat of the municipal government since the
municipio was burned during the capture of the town.  The San Fernando Elementary School was used as a military garrison while the old St. Scho site served as a military hospital.

And just like the rest of the historical structures in the town, the San Fernando Train Station figured prominently in this picture.  In 1942, after the fall of Bataan, countless POWs marched in an uncoordinated mass from Bataan to San Fernando.  This event is what we know today as the Bataan Death March. 

Although Camp O'Donnel is popularly known as the final point of the Death March, few people realize that the actual "marching" ended in San Fernando.  It was from the San Fernando Train Station that the POWs were carted to Capas, Tarlac, making the train station a significant and historical transit point of the Bataan Death March.

With the historical value of the train station clearly established, Fernandinos should not think twice when it comes to preserving the old train station.  So many things could be done with the edifice, such as converting it to a Death March Museum and Memorial.  It is a shame to let such a significant edifice decay or get torn down for that matter.  Fernandinos should not allow it to remain an abandoned train station.  It should stand as a reminder of San Fernando's only link to our national hero, and as a monument to the gallantry of the countless Filipino soldiers who suffered in the hands of an oppressive foe.

San Fernando should be proud of its historical structures.  And accompanied with this pride is the duty and need to preserve these structures for future generations.

Please send your comments or suggestions to ivanhenares@yahoo.com.

We would like to request those who will be using the information above, especially for publication, to properly cite the author and the Kapampangan Homepage.  The above column was published in Sun*Star Pampanga.