The local government of Cebu City unveiled a marker on Thursday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Cebu during World War II.

The National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) joined the commemoration led by Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia at Tabunan Integrated School in the city.

Garcia offered a wreath from the NHCP at the newly unveiled marker installed by the Cebu City Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission at the site of the field headquarters of the Cebu Area Command (CAC) in Barangay Tabunan.

The CAC is the local guerilla force, led by Lt. Col. James Cushing, that operated against Japanese forces in Cebu.

The marker, which honors the bravery and sacrifices of the men and women who fought for the freedom of the country, was unveiled in the area "where the guerillas waged an intense campaign that significantly disrupted Japanese control on Cebu from 1942 to 1945."

It noted that "Tabunan also provided shelter for Filipino and American forces and civilians escaping Japanese reprisals."

"In April 1944, the Cebu Area Command successfully transmitted documents detailing the defense plans of the Imperial Japanese Fleet, thereby advancing the liberation of the Philippines by three month," it stated.

According to NHCP, "the activity is part of the larger commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Liberation and end of World War II in the Philippines."

The city of Talisay also celebrated the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Cebu at Poblacion, Liberation Park on Wednesday.

The ceremony, led by Talisay City Mayor Samsam Gullas, was also attended by war veterans, the members of the Bureau of Fire Protection and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Robina Asido/DMS