Dubbed as the "War of our Fathers, A Tribute to the Filipino Freedom Fighters"…the exhibit has 43 panels that show wartime photos, artifacts, documents and video presentation

Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB) is wholly owned by the World War II Filipino Veterans and their heirs. Today, it is run by professional bank executives and staff who are mostly descendants of these veterans. PVB Management felt that the Filipino WWII veterans were not given enough recognition because little is known of their victories, sacrifices and struggles to free their nation from foreign domination. As such, the Bank embarked on a Traveling WWII Exhibit to share to the Filipino public the invaluable contributions of its veterans. The project hopes to address the following issues. The first is for today’s generation of Filipinos to see their forefather’s patriotism, gallantry and sacrifices via a visual medium that is more appreciated by today’s youth.

The second is to research and recognize the little-known, yet critical role of Filipino Freedom Fighters that ensured the victory of the Allied campaign in the Philippine History textbooks and most are often from the American point of view. The third is to help instill pride in the Filipino race by the example of the WWII veterans. They were ordinary folk who responded extra-ordinarily in times of adversity, that today’s Filipinos can relate to and be proud of. Written feedback would be obtained/encouraged from exhibit visitors while direct interaction with history teachers and students during the exhibit seminars would give the Bank direct insight and ideas for improvement. Given the costs, measuring any change in overall public perception about the veterans would be difficult. Instead, the Bank would use mass media to promote the objectives stated above using the exhibit as a springboard. As such, measurement of media values would be made as well.

The exhibit format chosen used 40+ lighted modular panels displaying WWII vintage photographs and storylines, vintage artifacts (weapons, propaganda material, etc.) diorama and video documentaries. These material were sourced from the academe, historians and the veterans themselves. To ensure historical accuracy, the information was checked by the UP History Department. PVB’s Corporate Communications and Marketing Services Department was tasked to implement the project, led by Vice-President Miguel Villa-Real. It identified potential sites and coordinated with the local government and education authorities a few weeks prior to the exhibit opening. The exhibit is mounted over a period of 2 – 3 days by an agency hired for this purpose. The exhibit then stays at a designated venue for 2-4 weeks. Further, the new panels were added for storylines of the local WWII history in that particular town or city. This was done through first-hand interviews with surviving WWII vets and historians in each site. As such, it added richly not only to the exhibit’s storylines, but also became documented as historical data for generations to come. In all the exhibit sites, the Bank coordinated with the local executives of the Department of Education (some of whom are Bank clients) to ensure that their students and teachers would visit the exhibit. A seminar was developed in coordination with the University of the Philippines (UP) Department of History, on how to teach WWII history for public and private school history teachers. Through the seminar, the teachers would learn fresh insights, anecdotes that would equip them to better each their students, hence create a multiplier effect. In appreciation of their attendance, teachers were given Certificates of Attendance.

Since 2006, the exhibit has been to 20 towns and cities all over the country in all major island groups. Venues have been shopping malls, universities and local museums with high pedestrian traffic and/or near schools. At the start of the exhibit in 2006, many corollary projects were also implemented such as art contests, but the seminar for history teachers was deemed most effective and was retained and enhanced from 2007 onwards. Viewing of the exhibit by the participants became a good follow-through to ensure the seminar participant’s deeper understanding. Since each new venue had new panels on local WWII history, the significance of the exhibit was enhanced. Further, the exhibit and seminar was timed during significant WWII anniversaries to arouse local interest and awareness.

From 2007 onward, the exhibit was able to visit 14 sites in all major island groups in the Philippines. These sites included major malls (e.g., SM Mall of Asia), Universities (e.g., Far Eastern University Manila and Ateneo de Zamboanga), Provincial Capitols and public high schools. The WWII Seminar was done in 12 of these sites where a total of 1,300 history teachers and students attended. In terms of exhibit visitors, a conservative total estimate of 135,000 visitors went to these 14 sites, ranging from a low of 4,500 visitors to a high of 28,000 per site. Visitors were encouraged to leave feedback via forms left in the venue. Most expressed their thanks, left positive remarks and how the exhibit impacted them. Samples are included in the supporting documents.

The Bank also garnered several awards for the exhibit such as the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines Quill Awards of Merit for two straight years. The other is the prestigious Anvil Award of Excellence given by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP).

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For any questions or clarifications, please call:
Mike Villa-Real
Vice-President
Corporate Communications and Marketing Services Dept.
Tel: 902-1670
Email: mcvillareal@veteransbank.com.ph