80th Anniversary Of The Liberation Of Manila

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - FEBRUARY 22: (From left to right) Philippine Foreign Affairs Minister Enrique Manalo, Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command, and Philippine Defense Minister Gilbert Teodoro attend the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Battle and Liberation of Manila at the Manila American Cemetery on February 22, 2025 in Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines. The Battle and Liberation of Manila (February 3 – March 3, 1945) was a month-long urban warfare between American-Filipino forces and the Japanese Imperial Army, leading to the city's liberation but also causing massive destruction and the deaths of over 100,000 civilians, mostly due to Japanese atrocities. It was one of the deadliest battles in the Pacific, ultimately ending Japanese occupation in the Philippines and restoring Manila to Allied control. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)