"The complete historical records must be made public."
"The complete historical records must be made public."
It is not too well-known that President Rodrigo Duterte made today, Sept. 3, a special non-working public holiday to be known as “Surrender of Yamashita Day.” Today marks the surrender of the Japanese Imperial Forces’ General Tomiyuki Yamashita in Baguio City, at the American High Commissioner’s residence at Camp John Hay.
The President signed on Feb. 14 a bill filed by Rep. Mark Go for this special holiday throughout the country. It was the victory of the USAFIP-NL in the Cordilleras that led to the general’s surrender.
I am placing the surrender of Yamashita in its proper perspective. After three months, Yamashita was hanged for crimes against humanity.
Records showed he had ordered the Rape of Manila when the American forces tried to liberate Manila. This caused his retreat to the Cordilleras to escape.
I must correct a claim in Republic Act 11216 which stated that the surrender signaled the end of World War II in the Philippines and the Pacific. Another historical event that must also be corrected is Go’s claim that the surrender of Yamashita in Baguio City was the location where the war here started and ended.
The truth of the matter was that when the Japanese Imperial Air Forces attacked Pearl Harbor in the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, simultaneously Clark Air Base and Baguio, where the Voice of America Signal towers were also bombed.
It was the same time and day, Philippine time, which started the Pacific War.
Another error in Go’s bill that led to its signing was its claim that the surrender of Yamashita signaled the end of World War II in the Pacific.
It was on Sept. 2, 1945 when upon the call of Japan’s emperor, Japanese officials signed the declaration of surrender to the Allied Forces. The surrender of Yamashita came a day after.
Secondly, it was not the surrender of Yamashita that ended the war. Actually, he had no choice but to surrender because the Battle of Bessang Pass decimated his forces, and he had to hide with his staff.
What I am saying is that the surrender is coincidental. After all, Japan had already surrendered after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
In fairness to the 1,400 Ilocanos and Igorots who sacrificed their lives in that momentous battle, it is only fair to relate it to Filipinos’ victory at Bessang Pass. This is why I must urge the Armed Forces of the Philippines which has the complete account to place everything in the proper perspective.
And if we must mark the surrender of Yamashita, the complete historical records must be made public.
What is unfortunate is that aside from the strongman Ferdinand Marcos and Fidel Ramos, no other Philippine president has bothered to mention that it was the Battle of Bessang Pass which led to the surrender of Yamashita.
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It’s no longer a whiff of corruption.
I refer to Nicanor Faeldon, who is again back in the spotlight now as head of the Bureau of Corrections. What a stench!
I watched the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee inquiry on the release of convicts involved in heinous crimes. I must say that if President Duterte says he has full trust and confidence in Faeldon, who in his time at Customs was involved in the smuggling of P6.8 billion worth of shabu, then corruption in government will never be truly arrested since he is not serious in dealing with it.
My gulay, how could convicts involved in heinous crimes be released when the law on Good Conduct Time Allowance is very clear? My question is, how did the rapists and killers of the Chiong sisters in Cebu happen to be free?
My only conclusion is money. The committee must not stop until it gets to the bottom of the matter.
Take the case of former Calauan Mayor Antonio Sanchez, who was all packed and dressed and ready to leave the New Bilibid Prison. His relatives and supporters were already waiting for him. Faeldon claims he did not sign the release order and pointed to a subordinate. But as chief, he had the ultimate responsibility whether or not he signed.
The committee should also ask Faeldon’s predecessor, now Senator Ronald dela Rosa, to explain. The GCTA Law has been implemented since 2014.
The President may not realize this, but his credibility is at stake. Faeldon continues to have the full trust and confidence in Faeldon. It was bad enough that the President recycled him after his failure at Customs. The stench of corruption at BuCor is just too much.
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Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said President Duterte pointed out to Chinese President Xi Jinping that the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines in the dispute on the South China Sea. I could not help but laugh.
According to Panelo, Duterte told Xi: “I don’t want to alarm you with what I am about to raise because of your problem in Hong Kong, which is why I am asking for forgiveness. But I need to say this because I promised my countrymen.”
Santa Banana, why must President Duterte apologize for raising the issue with Xi? It’s a fact that the PCA rejected China’s claim of the nine-dash line!
Clearly, Duterte was afraid that Xi might take the issue wrongly and take offense. It appears he is really ready to accommodate China. Since we cannot go to war against China, we just have to bear whatever it’s doing.
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