By JOSEPH G. LARIOSA

C HICAGO (jGLi) – Illinois State Secretary Jesse White and Attorney General Lisa Madigan are the special guests during the 70th Commemoration of Platinum Jubilee of the Bataan Day on Wednesday, April 4, at 9 a.m. during the wreath-laying ceremonies at the Bataan-Corregidor Memorial Bridge (General McArthur Bridge) at the corner of State Street and Wacker Drive in Chicago, Illinois.

During the ceremonies, two veterans (Filipino and American, both 94 years old) will receive from the Philippine Consul General in Chicago the Philippine Government’s World War II Liberation Medals and Certificates for their heroic deeds.

After the wreath-laying, there will be the turn-over of Proclamations on Bataan Day from the State of Illinois, City of Chicago, and the Village of Skokie, respectively, in the Kalayaan Hall (Freedom Hall) of the Philippine Consulate General at 30 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 2100 in Chicago.

The program will be attended by surviving World War II veterans starting at 10 a.m.

The event will pay tribute to thousands of Filipino and American soldiers who displayed extraordinary gallantry and courage beyond the call of duty in defending Bataan and Corregidor in the Philippines against the invading enemy forces in 1942.

For inquiries, please contact the Consulate at (312) 332-6458 ext. 17 (Ms. Rowena Ricafort (RSVP) or ext. 15 (Deputy Consul General Orontes V. Castro) or visit the Consulate’s official website at www.chicagopcg.com. # # #

Editor’s Note: To contact the author, please e-mail him at: (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)