CEBU, Philippines - Today marks the 114th anniversary of the Philippines’ independence from Spain.
With more than half a century since World War II, the older generation would say that the world has it very easy for today’s youth. If a war were to break today, is the young Juan dela Cruz ready to defend his country?
“Nganong dili? Kung kinahanglan nga idepensa ang Pilipinas, andam ko bisag kanus-a pa. Kung way magpadaug-daug, way manaugdaug (Why not? I will defend the Philippines anytime. No one will bully you if you won’t allow yourself to be bullied),” says Warren Encabo, a 21-year-old undergraduate student from Talisay City.
He contends, “Kung isug ang atong mga lolo sa una, mas isug ang mga batan-on rong panahona kay nakatilaw nami unsa kanindot ang kagawasan (If our forefathers were brave during their time, I think we are braver today because we know how and what it is to be free).”
Eden Magtoto, 25, a call center agent, echoes Encabo’s sentiments. She cites the ongoing rift between the Philippines and China over the Scarborough Shoal controversy as having awakened her sense of patrioritism. She believes that China has “discriminated” her nation. A war is already happening, she says, only in a more modern zone – on Facebook and Twitter. She is reportedly one of those who chose to defend her country, albeit verbally.
“If there is a need to boycott China’s products, why not? I believe we can produce our own goods way better than those coming from China. It could be a good start,” Magtoto says.
Local Heroes
Seventy years ago, two young Cebuanos fought against the Japanese Imperial Army. Democrito “Kito” Mendoza and Col. Manuel F. Segura could recall clearly how they resisted the foreign invaders.
Mendoza, the current national president of the Associated Labor Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP), said Cebu was very calm, safe, and even seemingly free of corruption before the war errupted.
Turning 89 years old on July 31, Mendoza says he was 22 years old when the war broke out. At that time, he was company commander under the Philippine Army and United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE).
“The loyalty and patriotism of my fellowmen was excellent and superb. Those who did not surrender to the Japanese were in the hills. Even my own family went to the hills. I was able to travel as far as from Carcar to Tuburan, fighting against the Japanese until the end of war where they surrendered in Ilihan, Tabogon,” he recalls.
“I had vivid memories of the courage and patriotism of the Filipino soldiers especially during the liberation of Cebu in March 1945,” he says. However, their rights as soldiers of the US Army reportedly ruptured during the declaration of the Independence on July 4, 1946. The Filipino soldiers were then deprived of the rights and benefits accorded to the American Army.
Segura, meanwhile, was G-1 and Adjutant General in the General Headquarters of the Cebuano guerrillas during World War II with Col. James M. Cushing as his commanding officer.
He saw the action against the invading Japanese forces in Cebu.
“I’m very lucky to be assigned in Cebu during the war because Cebu had the 119 major battles and we killed 21,000 Japanese invaders. There were more Japanese killed than the Filipinos,” he says with pride. Their tactical advantage was their familiarity with the place. They knew where to ambush the invaders, he says.
He says he was a college senior in civil engineering at the University of the Philippines - Diliman when he was called to active duty when the clouds of war loomed over the Pacific on August 28, 1941. He has just completed an advanced course of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) the year before. He was assigned as Regimental Adjutant of 82nd Infantry Regiment, 81st Infantry Division, and Philippine Commonwealth Army.
In the resistance movement, Segura rose to the rank of Adjutant General intimately informed of the major operations in the Cebu Area Command. He was assigned to the Cebu Central Sector as Combat Officer and S-3 (Plans and Training Officer). He was involved in several attacks against Japanese garrisons in Talisay, Minglanilla, Carcar and Toledo, but most of the battles he had participated in were against the Toledo garrison that was near the sector’s headquarters at Pandong Bato, Toledo City, including the big battles at Lawa-an, Minglanilla, Babag Ridge and at Malubog, Toledo.
In the skirmishes in Cebu, a total of 11,898 Japanese were killed in 119 encounters and ambushes.
“During the war, you get scared every day. One of my experiences was that I saw two to three bullet holes in my vest. But I believed our God up above was the one who guided me, the reason why I’m still alive until now,” he says.
One of his prized war trophies, Segura says, is a Japanese samurai sword, which he keeps until now.
“I picked it up after the battle as it only has a little blood on the tip of it,” he beams.
Segura earned a total of 24 badges and awards during his stay in the army. Before the war ended, he was assigned as G-l and Adjutant General in the General Headquarters at Tabunan. For his bravery, he was awarded by the United States of America the Bronze Star Medal with “V” Device for Heroism in Ground Combat.
He is now the assistant regional vice president of Region VII CAVCA and Veteran’s Federation of the Philippines.
After the war, he completed his engineering course, taught for five years at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) then joined the Philippine Constabulary from which he retired in 1972 as Colonel and deputy Commander of the Third PC Zone in the Visayas.
At the aftermath of World War II, Segura wrote and published at least two books on the guerrilla story in Cebu including the Tabunan and the Koga Papers. He is currently working on another book entitled World War II in Central Visayas.
Segura was born on January 1, 1919 and faced the war with a firm resolve to follow his father’s footsteps. His father was a soldier under Gen. Mac Arthur’s troop who was killed in Bataan.
Misgivings
Unfortunately, the war veterans did not receive their benefits until 1990. At that time, they were given an incentive of P500 and this amount increased day by day until it reached P5,000.
“I can feel so much the sentiments of my fellow war veterans since I’m in the veteran’s movement. The sacrifices that we had during the time when there was no democracy, were not given so much importance,” Mendoza says.
“I expect in five years time, we will be forgotten. Now, I find myself in the labor movement to uplift the living standards of the workers of the country,” he says.
“I’m not sour-gripping but we are still hungry. As a veteran, we were promised with a land, that’s why I would like to ask the Aquino administration to lift the veterans and the unemployed. Since we will be celebrating the Independence Day, we look forward that the people who are unemployed will be given jobs and for the landless to be given land as promised to us during the war. A land for the landless and job for the jobless,” he laments.
No war might be happening, but Mendoza says there is no saying that the Philippines is truly free.
“We’re not really that free in so far as the inequities of the rich and the poor (are concerned). It could not be denied that there is no equality...the veterans of this country have nothing to be proud of in our system on the political, social and spiritual aspect,” he says.
Patriotism today
Ricky Rama Poca, a political science professor at the University of San Carlos, also says that even if the new generation has not seen a “real” war, it does not mean they are cowards.
“For the love of country, I’m expecting that they will defend it... it should come naturally,” Poca says.
The younger generation, being openly intelligent, may have some questions before taking action, but they are willing to fight for a cause like their national heroes Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio, among others.
“Patriotism is very much present in them,” he says.
According to Mendoza, “the patriotism and courage of the Filipinos is still there but due to political and social classes, especially with the poor, the loyalty is there but the patriotism, I doubt, because it is now based on what political party you belong.”
“Now is a little different. Before, the Cebuanos were simple and happy as citizens of the country. There were no limited services of the government. Now the political landscape is very different. It’s controlled by many families. The minds of our fellow Cebuanos on corruption, not only in the government but also its social partners, escalated from the time of the American forces,” he says.
Segura also believes the fire still burns.
“I still believe that the Filipinos are always patriotic, but it’s so very different now. Things have changed. That’s part of progress. The people are more wide awake on the things going on, that’s why I don’t see any chances that the same war as that of the World War II will happen again,” he says.
As Filipinos celebrate independence day today, one can only hope that the lessons of the past would trickle down to the present, at least to serve as inspiration for change, war or without war. — /JMO (FREEMAN)