Panay Landing Memorial is a memorial erected in tribute to the landing of Major General Rapp Brush and his men on March 18, 1945 at Parara Beach in the municipality of Tigbauan, province of Iloilo, in the Philippines. The landing is commemorated March 18 of every year as Panay Liberation Day, alternatively Panay Landing Day and Victory (Liberation) Day on Panay, a special non-working holiday on the islands of Guimaras, Panay, and Romblon.
I went here on August 30, 2013 with my old office mates, Aileen, Chenie, and Lindsay. This was during my first time in Iloilo, the 25th province on my list.
Description
The memorial occupies around 200 square meters in land area. Panay Landing Memorial consists of concrete busts of Colonel Macario Peralta Jr., General Douglas MacArthur, and Lieutenant Colonel Julian Chaves on top of a ship inspired memorial. A historical marker by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) can be seen in front of the busts.
NHCP Marker
The historical marker by National Historical Commission of the Philippines reads:
On these shores landed, 18 March 1945, the 40th Infantry Division, 8th U.S. Army under Major General Rapp Brush. The Filipino forces under Colonel Macario Peralta Jr. met them and jointly started operations for liberating Panay Island.
How to get to Panay Landing Memorial
From Kalibo International Airport, take a five-hour bus or van ride going to Iloilo City.
From San Jose Airport in the capital of the Province of Antique, take a one-hour bus or van ride going to Iloilo City and tell the driver to drop you off at Panay Landing Memorial in Tigbauan. It is around 80 kilomenters from San Jose.
From Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan, take a van going to Iloilo City. The van will drop you off at SM City Iloilo. From there, take a jeepney going to Miag-ao from the Mohon Terminal in Molo District or from the Iloilo Terminal Market (“super”). Aleternatively, you may take a jeepney going to Oton. In Oton Jeepney Terminal, ride a San Joaquin bound jeepney and tell the driver to drop you off at Panay Landing Memorial. You may also take buses going to Anini-y or Dao Antique. Travel time is 30-45 minutes.
Panay Landing Memorial
Barangay Parara, Tigbauan
Iloilo, Philippines