‘This passage of House Bill 0933 adds poignancy to our review of events 80 years in the past…’
YOU want to learn a third language (to complement your Filipino and your English) in a Philippine college? Then House Bill 4350 (Act Mandating The Inclusion Of A Foreign Language Other Than English As An Elective Course In The Higher Education Curriculum) filed by Rep. Jonathan Clement M. Abalos is for you. If you are appalled by the Philippine ranking in the Corruption Perceptions Index and you want your children to be honest, then House Bill 1724 (Act Mandating The Compulsory Teaching Of Ethics Subjects In Philippine Tertiary Education) filed by Rep. Ruth Mariano-Hernandez is a partial remedy.
If you are aware of Kamandag (Tagalog acronym for “Cooperation of the Warriors of the Sea,” the recent drills involving 1,900 US Marines and more than 600 mostly Philippine Marines in mock amphibious assaults and special operations) and concerned about a regional or theater war, then you should be interested in House Bill 0933 (Act Integrating A Comprehensive Study Of Philippine History During World War II Into The Higher Education Curriculum) filed by Rep. Roman T. Romulo.
In fact, House Bill 0933 was approved at the Seventh Regular Meeting of the Committee On Higher and Technical Education of the House Of Representatives of the 19th Congress of the Republic of the Philippines. The approval integrated HB 4157 filed by Rep. Harris Christopher M. Ongchuan. Thus, as soon as the CHTE Committee Report is tackled and passed at the Plenary, we may see a glimmer of the stories of heroism of our WW2 guerrillas in the Senate, then into classrooms and libraries. Stories like the Hunters-ROTC ambush of Japanese troops at the Rizal-Laguna boundary area (Pugad-Lawin) on 30 August 1942 and the Liberation of Taguig.
Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla (who had filed House Bill 2105, Act Expanding The Coverage Of The Tertiary Education Subsidy, Amending For The Purpose Republic Act No. 10931, Otherwise Known As The Universal Access To Quality Tertiary Education Act) supported the WW2 education bill (HB 0933) that seeks to mandate the instruction of World War II in the Philippines in institutions of higher education. Such instruction shall give more attention to the Battle of Ipo Dam, Bataan Death March, Guerrilla Raid of Los Banos, Japanese Rape of Manila, Hunters-ROTC Raid of Muntinlupa, Nipponese Rape of Mapanique, Cabanatuan Raid, Tipas Massacre, Battle of Bessang Pass, Japanese cannibalism in Mindanao, Lingayen Gulf Landing, among others, and as cited in Fidel. V. Ramos’ Presidential Proclamation No. 349, s. 1994.
This passage of House Bill 0933 adds poignancy to our review of events 80 years in the past such as President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Statement Of War Crimes (October 7, 1942): “I said it was the purpose of this Government, as I knew it to be the purpose of the other United Nations, to see that when victory is won the perpetrators of these crimes shall answer for them before courts of law. The commission of these crimes continues. I now declare it to be the intention of this Government that the successful close of the war shall include provision for the surrender to the United Nations of war criminals. With a view to establishing responsibility of the guilty individuals through the collection and assessment of all available evidence, this Government is prepared to cooperate with the British and other Governments in establishing a United Nations Commission for the Investigation of War Crimes.
“It is not the intention of this Government or of the Governments associated with us to resort to mass reprisals. It is our intention that just and sure punishment shall be meted out to the ringleaders responsible for the organized murder of thousands of innocent persons and the commission of atrocities which have violated every tenet of the Christian faith.”
[https://www.ibiblio.org/pha/policy/1942/421007a.html]
In his Explanatory Note to House Bill 0933, Rep. Roman T. Romulo spotlights “the crucial role played by the Filipino guerrillas who turned and advanced the tide or winning against the Japanese.” These freedom-fighters were identified early in the Anti-Fascist War: “Since the Fall of Bataan, several small group of guerrilla units started organizing in Central Luzon led by escaped Bataan USAFFE officers according to Judge Roldan. It is an indication of the people’s resentment against the invaders and unshakeable faith on MacArthur’s promise to return. The most active and best organized at present strangely, according to him, is that pre-war socialist peasant group under Pedro Abad Santos, reorganized under the leadership of one, Luis Taruc, renamed Hukbo Ng Bayan Laban Sa Hapon, known as Hukbalahap with HQ at Mt. Arayat. At the start of the war, they took advantage of the confusion and increased their firearms and ammo supplies from those thrown away or discarded by retreating USAFFE units to Bataan. They are active in selective ambuscades. However, their Socialist philosophy have changed to Communism.”
“I remember the Commando Unit smuggled into Zambales on the night of March 11, by Q-113 of Lt. Santiago C. Nuval with instructions from USAFFE HQ to start guerrilla organization and operation that early. When I told this to the Judge, he said that is perhaps the guerrilla unit under a certain Col. Thorpe operating from Mt. Pinatubo and some of his officers are former Cavalry Officers from Ft. Stotsenberg that managed to escape from Bataan Death March such as Lts. Ed Ramsey and Joe Barker. They were joined by Filipino volunteers from Zambales willing to continue fighting the Japanese.
“The Judge also mentioned a small guerrilla group somewhere in Rizal led by former PMA Cadets Mike Ver and Terry Adevoso. I remember Adevoso, a member of Class ’44 disbanded with Class ’45 at Santo Tomas University last Dec and told to go home while Classes ’42 & 43 were commissioned and became a part of the 1st Reg. Div. of Gen. Fidel Segundo that saw gallant action in Bataan. I saw Adevoso in tears disappointed when told to go home and unable to join us to Bataan. Judge Roldan surprised me when he got from his pocket a clandestine one page mimeographed anti-Japanese Newsgram circulated from Manila. Now I know the Judge has underground connect.
“In Bulacan, an unidentified USAFFE Captain that managed to escape the Death March from Betis, Pampanga is reportedly organizing a guerrilla unit at the foot of Sierra Madre Mountains. This is perhaps the unit my younger brother, Narcy, joined.” [Diary of Ramon A. Alcaraz, May 15, 1942]
This passage of House Bill 0933 is supported by the Hunters-ROTC Historical Society, which offers its materiel: https://dfa.gov.ph/dfa-news/news-from-our-foreign-service-postsupdate/18117-unsurrendered-2-hunters-rotc-guerillas-premieres-in-d-c]
