SEEKING RECOGNITION. The McArthur Memorial Landing Park in Palo, Leyte where most of the 75th Leyte Gulf Landings activities will be held on Oct. 20. A local historian is lobbying for recognition of the role of thousands of local guerrillas in liberating Leyte Island during World War II. (File photo courtesy of the US embassy in the Philippines)
With just three weeks before the 75th Leyte Gulf Landings celebration on Oct. 20, a local historian is lobbying for the recognition of the role of thousands of local guerrillas in liberating Leyte Island from Japanese occupation during World War II.
Emil Justimbaste said on Wednesday the heroism of local fighters should be highlighted and not just the sacrifices of the Allied forces led by American General Douglas MacArthur.
“There would be more casualties from the Allied forces without the attacks initiated by the local guerrillas, but their bravery was never highlighted in the annual celebration of Leyte Gulf Landings,” said Justimbaste, the author of the book “Heroes, Brigands, Spies: The untold story of the guerrilla movement in Leyte, World War II.”
The book, published in 2007, tells the stories of local fighters and their internal conflicts during the Japanese invasion.
These fighters belong to the Philippine Army’s Western Leyte Guerrilla Warfare Forces led by Lt. Blas Miranda with its base camp in Ormoc.
“The forces’ six regiments with about 8,000 men in Leyte were well-organized. Their leader never surrendered to the Japanese. From Nov. 4, 1942, up to March 25, 1949, they have records of the daily battles with invaders,” Justimbaste said, citing details from declassified documents.
These scanned documents have been posted online by the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office.
Miranda’s men had kept diaries of the war and sent those to the Army’s intelligence unit, hoping to earn official recognition of their role in ending the Japanese occupation in Leyte.
“They initiated encounters with Japanese even before the Allied forces using bolos and few native guns, but when the Americans soldiers came, these guerrillas have been treated as guides, supplier carriers, and helpers,” he added.
“These are squad-size operations. There should be digging up of documents attesting their heroism since no one from the government is taking extra effort to research about their accounts,” he added.
The historian noted that there are only a few local heroes recognized during World War II in the annual commemoration. They are Ruperto Kangleon, a former Filipino soldier turned resistance fighter and leader and the three boy scouts Valeriano Abello, Antero Junia, and Vicente Tiston.
These young scouts who were at the hilltops of Telegrafo village in Tolosa used the scout's signs to request the incoming Allied forces on Oct. 18, 1944, not to bomb the shorelines from Abuyog to Tacloban City because thousands of local residents were living in the area.
The Leyte Gulf Landings is a commemoration of the Battle of Leyte Gulf the largest naval battle in the Pacific, and the largest naval battle in recorded history.
The battle spanned 100,000 square miles of sea; and was fought for three days, from Oct. 23 to 25, 1944, during the invasion of Leyte by the Allied forces.
The battle signaled the fulfillment of Gen. Douglas MacArthur's famous words, “I shall return,” who left the country and escaped to Australia to muster support from the Allied forces in the quest to liberate the Philippines from Japanese forces’ occupation.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1081411
Emil Justimbaste said on Wednesday the heroism of local fighters should be highlighted and not just the sacrifices of the Allied forces led by American General Douglas MacArthur.
“There would be more casualties from the Allied forces without the attacks initiated by the local guerrillas, but their bravery was never highlighted in the annual celebration of Leyte Gulf Landings,” said Justimbaste, the author of the book “Heroes, Brigands, Spies: The untold story of the guerrilla movement in Leyte, World War II.”
The book, published in 2007, tells the stories of local fighters and their internal conflicts during the Japanese invasion.
These fighters belong to the Philippine Army’s Western Leyte Guerrilla Warfare Forces led by Lt. Blas Miranda with its base camp in Ormoc.
“The forces’ six regiments with about 8,000 men in Leyte were well-organized. Their leader never surrendered to the Japanese. From Nov. 4, 1942, up to March 25, 1949, they have records of the daily battles with invaders,” Justimbaste said, citing details from declassified documents.
These scanned documents have been posted online by the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office.
Miranda’s men had kept diaries of the war and sent those to the Army’s intelligence unit, hoping to earn official recognition of their role in ending the Japanese occupation in Leyte.
“They initiated encounters with Japanese even before the Allied forces using bolos and few native guns, but when the Americans soldiers came, these guerrillas have been treated as guides, supplier carriers, and helpers,” he added.
“These are squad-size operations. There should be digging up of documents attesting their heroism since no one from the government is taking extra effort to research about their accounts,” he added.
The historian noted that there are only a few local heroes recognized during World War II in the annual commemoration. They are Ruperto Kangleon, a former Filipino soldier turned resistance fighter and leader and the three boy scouts Valeriano Abello, Antero Junia, and Vicente Tiston.
These young scouts who were at the hilltops of Telegrafo village in Tolosa used the scout's signs to request the incoming Allied forces on Oct. 18, 1944, not to bomb the shorelines from Abuyog to Tacloban City because thousands of local residents were living in the area.
The Leyte Gulf Landings is a commemoration of the Battle of Leyte Gulf the largest naval battle in the Pacific, and the largest naval battle in recorded history.
The battle spanned 100,000 square miles of sea; and was fought for three days, from Oct. 23 to 25, 1944, during the invasion of Leyte by the Allied forces.
The battle signaled the fulfillment of Gen. Douglas MacArthur's famous words, “I shall return,” who left the country and escaped to Australia to muster support from the Allied forces in the quest to liberate the Philippines from Japanese forces’ occupation.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1081411
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