The Liberation of Baguio

When Angie asked me to speak on the Liberation of Baguio, I immediately accepted because I would be espousing the cause of veteranism….that veterans should be remembered and not forgotten. Most of you were not yet born in 1941-1945 so I will not deal into the gory details nor describe the horrors of war. You, except Teop and Jack, may not appreciate it anyway.

Rather, let me give you a background of this memorable event. On 09 January 1945, after the largest flotilla of ships, second only to Leyte in the Pacific campaign, delivered a devastating barrage of firepower, 70,000 soldiers landed in Lingayen Gulf. MacArthur have returned... but upon reaching the beaches there were no Japanese…a crowd of flag-bearing Filipinos and guerrillas met him… the Japanese had fled south and to the Zambales mountains.

MacArthur, bent on rescuing the American refugees and soldiers held as prisoners of war in Cabanatuan, Los Banos and the University of Santo Tomas, pressed aggressively south. The massacre of 150 American POW in Palawan who were herded into a tunnel…barrels of gasoline were emptied into the tunnel and then ignited, killing all except seven who escaped thru a small opening at the end of the tunnel and scaled down the cliff to the beach on the Pacific coast.
This inflamed the invading troops to drive to Manila in a fast and furious pace.

MacArthur needed all the troops he could get in his drive to Manila. Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita, aware of the superior firepower of the Americans, decided to leave open the way to Manila with only token troops to oppose MacArthur... leaving the defense of the city to Admiral Sanji who was responsible for the death of 100,000 civilians.

“People of the Philippines: I have returned.”

Yamashita with his 30,000 men went to Baguio, the gateway to the Cordilleras establishing his headquarters at Camp John Hay. He then installed strong defense points at Kennon, Mt. Trail and at Irisan gorge, Naguillian Road. His ultimate plan, if overcome in Baguio, was to hole up in Tuccucan, Kiangan for his final defense where he finally surrendered 15 August 1945.

At about that time our fully organized and equipped guerrilla unit of 25,000 men previously supplied arms, ammunition, equipment and supplies by submarine at Darigayos, Luna, and airdrops at Bokod, was attached to the 8th Army under Gen. Krueger.

The USAFIP-NL consisted of the 11th Inf. from Cagayan, 14th Inf. from Nueva Viscaya and Ifugao, the 15th Inf from Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte, the 121st Inf from La Union and your own 66th Inf from Baguio and Benguet.

As executive officer, I commanded the 1st Bn, 66th Inf (400-500 men) move up the Naguillian Road to Baguio. Two other battalions were to push through Asin Road from Tubao, Ansagan and Kennon Road. A third unit was to harass the enemy escaping to the Cordilleras…

Meantime, Japanese troops were densely concentrated at Easter School, John Hay, Country Club, Cabinet Hill, Home Sweet Home, Heald Lumber, Pacdal Elementary School, and Benguet Auto Line and in scattered homes of Baguio residents all over the city in pairs, threes, fours or more. Their whereabouts were reported to us by residents which information was relayed to the 8th Army who decided to carpet-bomb the city first before the infantry and armored tanks
start the assault towards Baguio.

The converging units drove towards the city simultaneously. The Japanese repulsed us all the way with machine gun and mortar fire from caves hewn on strategic hills up to the heavily defended Irisan gorge where troops were pinned down by intense shelling from mountain guns, mortar and machine gun fire emplaced at Dominican Hill, Mirador and Quezon Hill. Two American tanks were hit by antitank fire at Lamtang bridge and pushed into the Irisan River. A fierce firefight ensued as we crept up the road to capture the high grounds above Irisan. A water shortage delayed the advance. But the Commanding General ordered a halt on April 26th. He decided that entering Baguio the next day, April 27th, the emperor's birthday, would produce a psychological impact on the enemy.

Dawn next day, led by armored tanks, we were the first troops to enter Baguio. Opposition was slight. Lt. Esteban and I paused at the checkpoint and alighted from our jeep and bent down to touch the ground in tears. I could not describe that feeling of being part in liberating the city where we were born. We then rushed to the Cathedral having brought with us personnel carrier loaded with C-rations and medicine contributed by the men of the battalion. Abanao and Session Road were almost deserted. People still cowered in their make-shift hovels around the cathedral grounds.

Esteban and I had to shout, "Rumuwar kayon, awan ti guerran." Suddenly, a man popped out of a bomb crater covered with wood planks, Pinong Pugal my high school classmate, saw me and started jumping and shouting, "Adda ni Ping! Na libre ti Baguion!" (Ping is here, Baguio is free). With people around us jumping with joy and crying, Esteban and I were mobbed, hugged, kissed…. In no time at all, the food and medicine carrier was emptied. I gave a box of Camel cigarettes to Pinong who kept shouting, waving the carton of Camel cigarettes over his head. My mother, dirty, disheveled, barefooted, and in tears, arrived later…we embraced… We had to leave after awhile to heed a call for help from an American soldier…to flush out Japanese rear-guard soldiers entrenched in caves at the Leonard Wood Road, Mines View-Antamok Road Junction. They were coming out in streams from three caves and taking firing positions behind the stone-paved hedge and shooting at us. We also ducked behind the hedge opposite about 50 yards from each other. Later, when a flame-thrower started to flush them out from their caves with napalm, they started to run… it was like shooting ducks. Tanks arrived to chase them towards Tuding and Itogon.

Our battalion headquartered at the Plaza Hotel of the Versozas for two weeks…a much-welcome and needed rest…to report later to Suyo, Ilocos Sur in preparation for the Battle in the Clouds at Bessang Pass, Lepanto, Mankayan, KP90, Loo Valley and finally Badayan, Buguias where we had our last battle. The "Ceasefire Orders" came 15 August 1945.

I could go on and on, on the battle for North Luzon…we came home after 4 years finding that the fruits of victory are not ours. We thought the war is over. NO.

The battle continues even now… the Battle of the Housewives… the battle for garbage disposal for one is on…if the city cannot handle it…give the job to recycling firms who can produce recycled products to be used by the community as they do in Guam.

The battle over water shortage…surely, the 100 miles of Benguet's mine tunnels (maybe about 60 miles now) filled with water which can be purified thru osmosis can help provide much-needed water during the summer months. The Baguio Water District should pursue its pending negotiation with Benguet Corp. The club might invite their spokesmen to present their respective stands on the matter.

The battle of the plastic bags…I donated shopping bags for our raffle to dramatize this battle. Emilie and I opened three kitchen cabinets a month ago…to find them overflowing with crumpled plastic bags. It took us more than an hour to flatten them out and fold into small triangular shapes for storage…the rest we discarded in our waste disposal receptacle.

The battle for power…electricity…we need cheaper power, alternatives for power, safer wire connections unlike the spaghetti wirings which may have contributed to the last three fires in Baguio.

The battle on traffic congestion… eliminating colorum vehicles is necessary to relieve congestion, more traffic signal lights, installing more road stop signs, yellow lines and strict enforcement of observance of the same…but more than physical signs, equipment and enforcement….strict observance of discipline and courtesy by both drivers and pedestrians… is mandatory.

If you let my sister speak she can tell you a litany of battles in this congested city of ours.

Finally, thank you for this opportunity to speak before you, I just wish to convey the message from war veterans to please remember them and the cause they fought for….we are being forgotten, ignored and most have not received the benefits due us for the last 67 years.