The governor who refused to surrender

Tomas Confesor was a congressman, constitutional delegate, senator, and the first governor of Iloilo to come from the working class. He was serving a second gubernatorial term when the Japanese invaded the Philippines. At once he organized the resistance in Panay. Politician-friends urged him to give up, but he opted to “suffer in honor than to enjoy life in ignominy.” A letter he wrote in February 1943 to the puppet governor circulated among and inspired other guerrilla units. It was published only after Confesor’s death in 1957. Today’s Filipinos can draw from the letter lessons when facing seemingly insurmountable odds. Excerpts:

*      *      *

Your message to me consists of the entreaty that further bloodshed and destruction of property in Panay should stop and our people be saved from further sufferings and miseries resulting from warfare and hostilities now existing between Japan and ourselves. The responsibility however, of accomplishing this end does not rest upon us, but entirely upon your friends who have sworn allegiance to Japan. For it was Japan that projected and created those conditions, Japan is the sole author of this holocaust in the Far East.

You were a member of the Constitutional Convention that adopted the Constitution of the Philippine Commonwealth. You did not only subscribe to it but you became a Filipino citizen by virtue thereof. Now that the hour of test has come how dare you advise the people, as you do now, to forego that sacred document and accept anything for peace and tranquility. Do you not realize that what you are doing now is a repudiation of your Filipino citizenship?

Undoubtedly if you and your fellow puppets are today receiving a certain degree of consideration from Japanese Army, such considerations may be attributed exclusively to the heroism of our soldiers in Bataan and the demonstration of their readiness and willingness of our people to suffer, especially of the common man, not the rich, the learned, the ambitious and crooked politicians and office-seeker who are hungry for power and influence, nor to your personal qualities of wealth. You puppets love ease and comfort so much as to compel you to barter the liberties of our people for anything.

You were decidedly wrong when you told me that there is no ignominy in surrender. That may be true in the case of the soldiers, who were corralled by the enemy, consisting of superior force with no way of escape whatever, for when they gave themselves up they did not repudiate any principle of government and the philosophy of life which inspired them to fight heroically and valiantly. Should I surrender, however, and with me the people, by your invitations and assurances of guarantee to my life, my family and those who follow me, I would be surrendering something more precious than life itself: the principles of democracy and justice and the honor and dignity of the people.

You emphasized in your letter only peace and tranquility of our people. I do not know whether intentionally you failed to refer in any way to the honor and dignity of our race. You seem to have forgotten those noble sentiments already, despite the fact that Japan has hardly been a year in our country. It appears clearly evident, therefore, that there is a great difference between the manner you and we are trying to lead our people. You and your fellow-puppets are trying to give them peace and tranquility by destroying their honor. On the other hand, we endeavor to inspire them to face difficulties and undergo any sacrifice to uphold the noble principles of popular rule and constitutional government. In other words, you are trying to drive our people to peace and tranquility on the road of ignominy, to borrow your own language.

Thank you for reminding me of what General Bell wrote to Mabini, that “only the possibility of success is the sole justification of a war, and as soon as the possibility disappears, civilization demands that for the sake of humanity the vanquished should submit to the visitors.” In calling my attention to the above you affirm thereby that there is no “possibility of success” on (our) part to defeat Japan and her colleagues. Here again you are evidently wrong. You people who have surrendered to the Japanese do not know of any news but (that) given by them. It shows again that you are ignorant of what is going on. Let me tell you that Japan is digging her grave deeper and deeper every day in New Guinea. In China and in Burma she is on the run and is losing extensive territories which she formerly conquered. In Europe, Germany is in flight pursued by the Russians. In Africa, Tripoli and Tunis have fallen into the hands of the Allies. Everyday the cities of Italy are being bombed and smashed to pieces. The Italians will soon demand a separate peace. By June, next, the Philippines will be redeemed, definite. What are you going to do next? Revise your convictions again?

I hope I have made myself clear enough to make you understand my position. I will not surrender as long as I can stand on my feet. The people may suffer more during the next six months. To use the words of St. Paul the Apostle: “The sufferings of the present are not worthy to be compared with the glories to come that shall be revealed to us.”

(For the full text, Google-search “Tomas Confesor’s Letter to Fermin Caram”.)

*      *      *

Catch Sapol radio show, Saturdays, 8-10 a.m., DWIZ (882-AM).

E-mail: [email protected]