First of all I would like to thank our Almighty God for igniting my passion to write this story. Kayo po talaga ang nagsulat ng kwentong ito at ako'y instrumento niyo lamang. This wouldn't be possible without your guidance and support. Nais ko ring pasalamatan yung mga documentaries na napanood ko, "Legacy of Heroes: The Story of Bataan and Corregidor", "Inside World War II," at pati na rin si Google for supplying with me with facts and information tungkol sa makasaysayang pangyayaring ito. Since I have no living relatives to tell the tale, sa inyo talaga ako umasa in order to make this story as accurate as it can be. Sa lahat ng nabuhay noong panahon ng digmaan, sa ating mga lolo at lola at sa lahat ng Sundalong nakipaglaban noong World War 2, this story is dedicated to all of you and thank you for being my inspiration in writing this story. You served as a life blood for my characters, even though they're fictional, my characters symbolizes real life people such as the ones who lost a loved ones during the war, the young men who are inadvertently dragged into the army, the women who suffered horribly at the hands of the invaders and the innocents who died in this chaotic times.

Sa lahat po ng nagbasa at sumuporta, maraming salamat po sa inyo. Special thanks goes to ErrolRios na isa sa pinakamasugid kong mambabasa, maraming salamat for your comments and helpful insights, I'm so glad na naeenjoy at nadarama mo ang kwentong akong ibinabahagi.

One of the main reasons why I write is to provide lessons and values to my readers, hindi lang ako nagsusulat just for entertainment purposes, nagsusulat ako para magbahagi ng makabuluhang kwento na kapupulutan ng aral. Also, I have inserted some hidden themes and symbolisms na mapapansin lamang ng ilan. Aside from valor, courage and sacrifice, one of the main themes of the story is The 7 Deadly Sins. Kung inyong mapapansin yung mga characters ko, they inhibit these flaws, hindi ko na iisa-isahan so that the readers will have to figure for themselves kung sino-sino sa kanila ang nagtataglay ng ganitong katangian. Next, being a Christian, I also inserted a lot of Biblical References in my story and since na nangyari ito kasabay ng Holy Week noong 1942, kinumpara ko ang sakripisyo ng mga Sundalo sa sakripisyo ni Hesukristo, and I also pointed the similarities between the Death March at yung pagpasan ni Jesus sa Krus ng Kalbaryo.

Kung nababasa niyo ito ngayon, malamang natapos niyo na ang kwento, at malamang marami ang nagtataka at napapaisip sa pagtatapos. Bakit bitin? Bakit di na pinakita yung nangyari pagkatapos? Well, I am here to tell you na I did it on purpose, hindi ko kayo binitin, ayoko lang talaga magspoon feed sa mga mambabasa, yung tipong ibinunyag ko na ang lahat sa kanila at wala na silang pag-iisipan pa pagkatapos. I want them to speculate about the story's aftermath, kung ano na ang ginawa ng mga tauhan after this chapter. I want them to give their own take kung paano nila gugustuhing matapos ang kwento base sa kanilang palagay.

Lastly, like many other works of literature, hindi maiiwasang pag-usapan ang tungkol sa sequel o follow-up. For now I have no plans regarding this, pero kung sakali mang magkaroon, gusto ko tungkol naman siya sa Battle of Manila noong 1945, sa Bataan nagsimula ang lahat at sa Maynila naman nagtapos and I think this will be a fitting companion piece to my story. Kung bibigyan ko ng title siguro ito ang ibibigay ko "Maynila 1945: Ang Huling Laban." Hehehe pero ngayon wala pa talaga akong balak na sundan ito, but who knows?

Okay, so ano na nga ba ang gagawin ko ngayon now that I finish the story? I guess I'll have to go back to the top for revisions para maayos ko yung ibang spelling and grammatical errors pati na rin yung ibang plot holes and inconsistencies. After that I will start writing the Book 2 of my Questing Heirs Trilogy entitled "The Four Heirs." First chapter will be out in 2019.

Sa muli, maraming salamat sa inyong lahat at mabuhay tayong mga manunulat!

johnmg95