Testimonials

“’If only walls could talk’ is a common idiomatic expression that is truly applicable to the Philippines setting. Corregidor in general and other historical buildings can all surely relate to the idiom mentioned. But the richness and culture of one place need not be trapped in its walls forever—it is only proper that the current generation in addition to future ones be given the opportunity to know what took place in the historical places that our country has.”

-Misha Solano

“What happened in this place was tragic, but will be remembered forever. This was no ordinary field trip like those in the past wherein students end up just playing with their classmates, like I mentioned. This journey was beyond the framework of just ordinary, at least to my standpoint.”

-Jay Vergara

"My favorite places in Corregidor, besides the beautiful sceneries of nature, were the memorials that sought to concretely tell the story of Corregidor. I liked seeing the old artifacts and photographs. I admired the statues and the word carvings that sought to announce the values of freedom and justice that a lot of people fought for. They told stories of war and stories of life."
-Jerry Perez

“When I found out about the class trip to Corregidor, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go. I heard a lot of stories about it, and I thought hearing them was enough. If it weren’t for the incentive of the trip being a class trip, that Sunday would have been spent bumming around the confines of my home. Fortunately, I was proven wrong. There is more to Corregidor than the stories I heard about.”
-Catherine Isabel Mendoza

“I just feel and I just know that there is so much more to be offered than what was shown, seen, and experienced in Corregidor. It was already a great experience as is, but I just feel that with extensive training to the tour guides among others the whole experience would easily climb a notch or two in terms of customer’s satisfaction. And beyond the customer satisfaction is the higher purpose and goal of actually conveying the history and culture that the site has.”
-Misha Solano

    “Corregidor far exceeded my expectations. I believe it is worth visiting for it makes us appreciate more truly a fraction of our rich history. It is also a great chance to know more about our identity as Filipino people. For the uninterested, it offers an experiential approach that will surely make one recognize the value of such a historical landmark. More than the experience being enjoyable, it was definitely meaningful. It serves as a beautiful reminder that once upon a time, our brothers and sisters sacrificed their very lives for our freedom and for us to gain back what is rightfully ours—our motherland.”

-Bianca Arcega

“I simply wore shorts and slippers because I knew it was going to be very hot so I tried wearing my summer clothing. Unfortunately, something happened. As one of my friends called me, I ran to them not knowing of the debris on the ground. I tripped on one of the rusty supper bars on the floor. It hurt but it was only a slight wound. Later that afternoon, I became very bloody so I was forced to check it with the nurse on duty. It was only a shallow gash so he had it cleaned with alcohol and plastered it with a band aid. I find it funny that even after 50 years, Corregidor is still able to do draw blood from people. By the end of the tour, I realized that I tripped on something rusty and I hadn’t had my tetanus shot yet. So before coming home, I went to the emergency room and spent nearly 3 hours just to get my booster and shot. It was quite simply, a hassle. Even with the series of unfortunate events that occurred to me, I’m not discouraging anyone to visit the battle island of Corregidor. It’s just a half day event and it pays to learn something our forefathers died dearly for.”
-Ray Roderos

“It took a little more than an hour of a boat ride to the small tadpole shaped island. But finally, we were there and I was thankful enough to feel some sort of excitement in me. Students and other tourists filed out of the boat in a single file and rushed to their respective buses. As for the HI166 class of Ateneo de Manila University, there were two buses to choose from. Unfortunately, I took the less entertaining of the two. As our bus took off, I watched as the other one enjoyed their tour guide’s humor.”
-Catherine Isabel Mendoza

“In conclusion, I just think that the richness of our country’s history must not be trapped within the walls of the buildings but instead be spread to the majority of people. I hope that the future generations experience something greater than what we experiences. Proper teaching of history, tourism together with its improvement will inevitably lead to positive changes in our country. Let us help one another in this matter to assure also that the dark parts of our history may never repeat itself. Take the good and all the lessons, and leave the bitter to memory and the eternal pages of history."
-Misha Solano

“True, I can never look at Corregidor the same way people looked at it 50-60 years ago. Even the gravity of the remorse I cannot match. But the remorse is there. Driving through Corregidor gave me the chills and the goosebumps, knowing that this island was actually a war zone at some point. Mixed with the feelings of amazement for this island, my sorrow was there. I felt sorry at the same time proud of what Corregidor stood for. It’s a testament of nationalism and heroism. Many have been lost, structures and lives, but what remains is something that the rest of us need to pick up. Corregidor exudes of stories of our past and I believe what the island wants us to do is to let them in, remember these stories. Like any other historical landmark, they are there for us to remember. They are there so people would not forget. They are there so people would know what happened and learn from it, mistakes or none. I left Corregidor knowing that it’s beautiful, the history even more beautiful.”
-Betsy Esguerra