U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, center, helps open an art exhibit commemorating 80 years since the Battle of Manila, Feb. 13, 2025. (American Battle Monuments Comission)
An art exhibit has opened at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the battle to free the Philippine capital during World War II.
Liberation of Manila: 80 Years of Remembrance through Art runs through Tuesday, according to a statement Friday by the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines.
The Battle of Manila raged from Feb. 3 to March 3, 1945, as Allied forces led by Gen. Douglas MacArthur wrested the city from Japanese occupiers.
The recapture of the Philippine capital fulfilled the “I shall return” promise MacArthur made when he retreated to Australia in spring 1942.
The memorial art exhibit invites audiences to “reflect on the destruction and resilience experienced during one of the most significant events in Philippine history,” the embassy said in its statement.
On display are works by renowned Filipino painters Fernando Amorsolo, Diosdado Lorenzo, Nena Saguil and Galo Ocampo.
“Burning of Santo Domingo Church” by Fernando Amorsolo is one of four works in an exhibit commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Manila this month. (U.S. Embassy in the Philippines)
Four powerful works on show serve as a visual testament to the past, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson said in the statement.
“They remind us of the shared sacrifices, lives lost, and profound stories that must never be forgotten,” she said.
The paintings, from the National Museum of the Philippines, are historical accounts, some firsthand, of the battle for the city, the museum’s director-general Jeremy Barns said in the statement.
“Together, we bear the responsibility of commemorating the struggles and victory of those who valiantly fought for our great nation’s freedom and the continued brotherhood of the Philippines and the United States,” he said.
The paintings on display include: “Burning of Santo Domingo Church” (1942), which captures enormous flames that burned the centuries-old church for three days in 1941; and “Ruins of the Legislative Building” (1945), which shows the shattered remains of what was a Japanese stronghold in the war.
In a separate event, Manila American Cemetery will also host two American World War II veterans Saturday during a ceremony commemorating the Battle of Manila.
U.S. Navy veteran Arthur Grabiner, 99, of New York City and U.S. Army veteran John Hodges, 101, of Staunton, Va., will attend the event alongside U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. Samuel Paparo, U.S. Army Pacific deputy commander Lt. Gen. Joel Vowell and the ambassador.
The largest overseas American military cemetery in the world is open to the public, with free admission from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except Christmas and New Year.
