Panay Liberation Day
Panay Liberation Day, alternatively Panay Landing Day and Victory (Liberation) Day on Panay is an annual event that commemorates the landing on Panay during the Battle of the Visayas in World War II. It is a public holiday on the islands of Panay and Guimaras in Western Visayas and Romblon in Mimaropa.
| Panay Liberation Day | |
|---|---|
Troops of the 185th Inf., 40th Div., take cover behind advancing tanks while moving up on Japanese positions on Panay on March 18, 1945. This photo was taken by Lt. Robert Fields who was killed shortly after. | |
| Official name | Victory (Liberation) Day in Panay, Guimaras, and Romblon |
| Observed by | Panay, Guimaras, and Romblon |
| Type | Local patriotic |
| Date | 18 March |
| Next time | 18 March 2024 |
| Frequency | annual |
In 1989, then-President Corazon Aquino issued Proclamation No. 430 or "An Act Declaring March 18 of every year as Victory Day in the Islands of Panay and Romblon including the cities of Iloilo and Roxas", declaring it a special non-working holiday for the three islands. The proclamation said in part, "March 18, 1945 is of great historical and sentimental significance to both the veterans and the people of Panay and Romblon because it was the day when the Panay Guerilla Forces launched the final assault on the Japanese Imperial Armed Forces," Guimaras is included in the proclamation since it was part of Iloilo province in 1989.