‘In this atmosphere, Filipinos, without hesitation, invite their sibling nations in ASEAN and their friends in APEC to emblazon this United Nations victory over Oriental-Hitlerism…’
LEYTE in the Philippines in Southeast Asia-Western Pacific was a strategic moment during World War II.
Political moment when Leyte was liberated: “General MacArthur and I have returned together to accomplish a common objective: to restore to our people peace and prosperity, freedom and happiness… In my capacity as the head of the Philippine Commonwealth, I will as promptly and effectively as possible direct the restoration of the democratic functions of government in the administration of the nation, the provinces and the municipalities. But I did not come back to the Philippines merely to see the re-establishment of the constitutional government which existed here before Pearl Harbor… For the American Government did not only recognize the Commonwealth Government as the lawful government of the Filipino people but also gave it the consideration accorded to governments of countries possessing the attributes of absolute sovereignty. This more advanced government is the one which I have brought back to you.” [Message of President Osmeña to the Filipino people upon his arrival on Philippine shores with the American forces of liberation, October 20, 1944]
Tactical moment of liberation from the enemy point of view: “What impressed us was the fact that the Americans landed with only that relatively small amount of shelling… At Leyte, a majority of the guns emplaced on the beach were destroyed, but defiladed and cave positions remained intact and the losses among the defending troops were surprisingly small. A considerable number of our troops became scattered, but still put up a fair amount of resistance after the Americans landed.” [Japanese Army Major-General Yoshiharu Tomochika, Davao Concentration Camp, 02 October 1945]
A tactical moment of triumph from the American point of view: “Company ‘I’ advanced with little opposition, but Company ‘K’ ran into an enemy defensive position of five pillboxes along the swampy streambed–about 75 yards from the beach. The company promptly attacked those positions with rifles, BAR’S and hand grenades. Led by the company commander, Lieutenant Stoneburner who personally destroyed one pillbox with hand grenades, the company knocked out these fortifications…By 1215 the 34th Infantry’s beach area was clear of Japs. Thirty-three dead Japs had been counted in the 3rd Battalion’s zone.” [Leyte historical report of the 24th Infantry Division landing team, 20 October 1944 — 25 December 1944, Philippine liberation campaign]
Liberation of Palo: “Early in the morning of 21 October, the 2d Battalion, 19th Infantry, moved west through enemy machine gun and rifle fire and bypassed the enemy defensive position that had held it up the previous day. At 1155 the battalion reached the junction of the beach road and Highway 1…At the road junction, the battalion dispersed with machine gun fire a column of about 35 Japanese moving south on Highway 1. Artillery fire was then laid on a grove of trees, west of the road, to which the enemy had fled…At 1500 they entered Palo without further opposition.” [M. Hamlin Cannon. Chapter IX: “Northern Leyte Valley: Part One.” Leyte: The Return to the Philippines. Washington, D.C.: Department of the Army, 1954]
Liberation of Tacloban: “In front of the Capitol of the province, General MacArthur read the proclamation declaring null and void all laws promulgated by the Japanese and the puppet republic, and replacing those of the Commonwealth. His proclamation was followed by a speech by President Osmeña. At 2 p.m.” [Diary of Basilio J. Valdes, October 23, 1944 — Monday]
To commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Leyte Operations, celebrate the victorious history of the Filipino, surface invaluable knowledge from the regions (particularly Eastern Visayas), and salute the local World War IIs heroes, the Leyte-Samar Heritage Society, Inc. held a one-day “Pagbukwat han aton mga Kaagi” (“unearthing our histories”) conference. Speakers included Prof. Bernard Karganilla (Hunters-ROTC Historical Society, Inc. Corporate Secretary), Mina Watanabe (Women’s Active Museum, Tokyo), Walter R. Borneman (author, “The Admirals: Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King – The 5-star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea”), plus Lakan Uhay Alegre and Jobert Narte (Leyte-Samar Heritage Society, Inc. Member-Nominees), among others.
Relevance in the 21st century: “On October 20, we commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Leyte Landings. It is a date whose significance is largely unknown outside the Philippines. For those who recognize it, historians and military professionals, October 20 marks the beginning of the Philippine Liberation Campaign. For Filipinos, however, the date holds a more special significance. Filipinos know the context wherein October 20 took place, and that the Liberation Campaign might never have happened. America chose to help her European friends first, losing thousands of tons of shipping to German U-boats in Atlantic convoys to Russia and Britain, and yet no such effort was made for Bataan or Corregidor. Filipinos know of the US Navy’s Formosa Proposal to bypass the Philippines altogether in 1944.
It was only because one man fulfilled his promise to return that a nation’s suffering was cut short. A foreigner, later criticized and ridiculed in his own country, upheld a most Filipino virtue — loyalty, katapatan. Eighty years hence, we have to look at October 20, 1944 as a symbol of a bygone era, a bright flash that may never happen again. In 2024, the Philippines once again faces a threat from overseas. There are the usual pledges of support from friends, but the words are not borne by their actions. These friends fled Afghanistan, even after sacrificing so much blood for their youth. In the face of the greatest threat to European peace since 1939, these friends supported Ukraine half-heartedly. Under threat of invasion, the Taiwanese are told that they have to pay to get protection. Only when Israel is threatened, do these friends put their ships in harm’s way. Filipinos would do well to prepare ourselves, for when the fight comes, we are on our own.” [Solomon W. Spyke, MD]
In this atmosphere, Filipinos, without hesitation, invite their sibling nations in ASEAN and their friends in APEC to emblazon this United Nations’ victory over Oriental-Hitlerism and ponder its application in the Southeast Asian Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality and the free and open Indo-Pacific.
