'Let Pilar look after Mt. Samat'

BALANGA CITY, Philippines – The mayor of Bataan’s Pilar town, where the historic Mt. Samat is located, is asking the national government to turn over the management of the 77-hectare landmark to the municipal government.            

Mayor Charlie Pizarro told The STAR that the famous battleground of World War II and one of the top tourist spots in Central Luzon visited by surviving Bataan veterans and their relatives have been pressing the local government to construct first-class amenities in the vicinity of the Shrine of Valor (Dambana ng Kagitingan).

The Department of National Defense and the National Historical Institute have been jointly managing Mt. Samat since 1972.

If turned over to the municipal government, Pizarro said he would propose the creation of a multi-sectoral committee to come up with a master tourism plan for Mt. Samat.