Outstanding facts on the war in the Philippines

The National Historical Institute recently organized a 2-day Conference to discuss the various aspects of World War II as it affected the Philippines. The Conference was held at the University of Santo Tomas. The discussion was timely because this year marks the 60th anniversary of the end of that war (the most terrible in human history) and that event is being celebrated in various European capitals.

One of the papers read was that by Dr. Benito Legarda Jr. who pointed out that, far from being on the periphery of that war, the Philippines was one of the major battlefields. He listed several outstanding facts regarding the Philippines in that war. Here are some of them.

1. The naval battle in and near Leyte Gulf was the biggest naval battle in history. We might add that it was not only a big battle in itself, but was also decisive in its results. Had the Japanese won that battle, the American troops that had landed on Leyte might have been wiped out and the liberation of the Philippines might have been retarded.

2. The biggest military surrender in American history was the surrender of the USAFFE to the Japanese, first in Bataan, later in Corregidor.

3. Manila was the only allied capital in the Pacific that was destroyed.

4. It was also the only time in Philippine history that Manila was destroyed by military action. (Parts of Manila had previously been destroyed by earthquakes or fire.)

5. 1.1 million died during the war in the Philippines, the biggest number of war casualties in Philippine history.

6. The killings by the Japanese in Manila and the nearby provinces was the biggest massacre of civilians in Philippine history. There had been a massacre of civilians by the Dutch in the town of Abucay (Bataan) in 1647, but there, only about 100 were killed, whereas in Manila 100,000 perished.)

7. The mortality of prisoners of war in the Philippines was the highest in the world. 50 percent of Filipino prisoners died. (A much higher percentage for American prisoners.) Elsewhere in the world, the average mortality was 27 percent.

8. As Dr. Legarda puts it, "The stopping for four months of tough veteran Japanese troops by half-trained recruits, mostly Filipinos, while all around them the Asian bastions were falling like ninepins."

9. The number of civilians who died in Manila was next only to those who died in the Rape of Nanking by the Japanese.

Any of the above would have been enough to make the fighting in the Philippines a major part of the global war. It was one of the major tragedies of the war that the United States decided to focus its attention on the fighting in Europe, giving minor importance to the defense and liberation of the Philippines which was its primary responsibility.

This year, the 60th since the end of the war, it would be appropriate to pray for all who died during the war. And to thank God for finally ending one of the darkest and most painful periods of Philippine history.