The Mt. Samat Underground Museum, located beneath the colonnade of the Dambana ng Kagitingan (Shrine of Valor) in Pilar, Bataan, is now open to the public once again. The museum, now renamed the “Bataan World War II Museum and the Legacy of Bataan and its Heroes,” has been modernized with a P19 million funding from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).

The reopening was marked by a visit from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as part of the commemoration of the 83rd Anniversary of Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor).

According to Mt. Samat Flagship Tourism Enterprise Zone Administrator Francis Theodore Initorio, the museum is part of the construction of the Dambana ng Kagitingan, initiated in 1966 as a tribute by then-President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. to the Filipinos who sacrificed their lives during World War II.

The museum was first opened to the public on April 9, 1970.

The newly modernized museum offers more spacious exhibit content and artifact displays, providing an interactive experience for students, researchers, and tourists. The updated storyline exhibit is more comprehensive and easier to understand, highlighting Bataan’s significant role in the history of World War II in the Philippines, the heroic contributions of its local heroes, and the series of battles fought in the province during the war.

Each gallery is arranged to follow the chronological events from the outbreak of the war until its end in 1945.

A visit to the Mt. Samat Underground Museum can take 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the pace of following the storyline across eight major exhibits.

The modernization of the museum is part of the five-year Redevelopment Plan for Mt. Samat. The Mt. Samat Shrine, now a full-fledged flagship tourism enterprise zone, is under the management of TIEZA in accordance with Republic Act 9593 or the National Tourism Policy Act of 2009. (PIA Region 3-Bataan)