Filipino-Japanese Friendship Historical LandmarkFilipino-Japanese Friendship Historical Landmark is a National Historical Landmark, NHCP located at Pili, Camarines Sur, Region V.
RESOLUTION NO. 6, S. 1996
DECLARING THE FILIPINO-JAPANESE FRIENDSHIP LANDMARK AT BONCAO HILL, MT. ISAROG, PILI, CAMARINES SUR A NATIONAL HISTORICAL LANDMARK.
WHEREAS, the Constitution of the Philippines provides that "The State shall promote and popularize the nation’s historical and cultural heritage and resources";
WHEREAS, Presidential Decree No. 260, dated August 1, 1973, specifically vested the National Historical Institute, a cultural agency attached to the Department of Education, Culture and Sports, and an institution affiliated to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, with the authority and duty to conserve and protect the historical and cultural heritage of the country;
WHEREAS, during the Second World War, the Japanese Imperial Forces made a stronghold out of the natural caves found at Boncao Hill at the foot of Mt. Isarog;
WHEREAS, upon the liberation of the Bicol Region in 1945, Boncao Hill was the site of the last stand of the Japanese Forces; WHEREAS, to commemorate the end of the war and mark the friendly relations between the Philippines and Japan, a Filipino-Japanese Friendship Landmark was inaugurated on October 23, 1985, through the joint efforts of the members of the Isarog-Kai and then Vice-Governor of Camarines Sur, Jose Velarde;
WHEREAS, the further development of the site to accommodate Japanese and Filipino visitors will enhance its significance and be a fitting memorial to all those who perished during World War II.
NOW, THEREFORE, the National Historical Institute, by virtue of the powers vested in it by Presidential Decree No. 260, dated August 1 1973, as amended by Presidential Decree No. 1505, dated June 11, 1978, hereby declares the FILIPINO-JAPANESE FRIENDSHIP LANDMARK at Boncao Hill, Mt. Isarog, Pili, Camarines Sur, a National Historical Landmark.
APPROVED: October 16, 1996