Ricarte National Shrine
Washington Street, Batac, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
Tel: +61 09972011888
Curator: Ronald M. Rigonan

The Ricarte National Shrine is devoted to General Artemio Ricarte who was born in Batac, Ilocos Norte Province on Luzon in the Philippines. The shrine consists of a memorial park, library and museum located to the north of Batac municipal town hall. The memorial plaque reads in part: "Captured by the Americans in 1900, Ricarte was banished to Guam in 1901. Refusing to take the oath of allegiance to the United States Government, he lived abroad, returning to the Philippines from Japan during World War II. Died in Barrio Nagparaon, Kalinga Mt. Province."

Memorial Park
A memorial park was completed in 1993, and cost 4 million Pesos to build. The memorial features a statue and two field guns on display.

Library and Museum
The General Artemio Ricarte library and museum were opened in 1997 at the cost of seven million Pesos. General Artemio Ricarte was a Filipino Freedom fighter and the first chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in 1897. During the American occupation refused to vow any oath of allegiance to the Unites States after the Spanish American War and was exiled to Guam, Hong Kong, Shanghai and finally to Japan in 1915. Ricarte lived in Yokohama from 1930 until December 1941 when the Japanese flew him back to the Philippines. On December 21, 1941 he was flown by the Japanese to Aparri Airfield. During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, he toured the provinces and promoted cooperation with the Japanese. During early 1945, he withdrew with the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) 14 Army under the command of General Tomoyuki Yamashita into the Serria Madre Mountains. On July 31, 1945 Ricarte died with Japanese forces at Barrio Nagparaon, Kalinga in Mountain Province. A small museum has photographs and relics from his life, including several World War II era American and Japanese guns. Photography was not allowed inside the museum.