“The Battle of Bessang Pass was won by Ilocanos and Igorots where no less than 1,200 of them sacrificed their lives to uphold the freedom we are now enjoying”
THE Battle of Bessang Pass was truly a signal victory for Filipinos the country should be proud of.
But sadly, after almost 80 years, that battle where some 1,200 Ilocanos and Igorots gave up their lives, is hardly remembered.
The Battle of Bessang Pass has been romantically described in the annals of the Armed Forces of the Philippines as the Battle Among the Clouds.
Located in Brgy. Malaya, Cervantes, Ilocos Sur, Bessang Pass is a strategic gap with an altitude of 5,250 feet above sea level that serves as a gateway to the Cordillera mountains and the city of Baguio.
As told by my late eldest brother, Desi Jurado, then a second lieutenant and company commander of Company E of the 121st Infantry of the guerilla movement of the USAP-NL at Northern Luzon, had to fight the Japanese Imperial forces then retreating to the Cordilleras when the Americans started to return to the Philippines after over three years of Japanese Occupation.
The Japanese Imperial Forces were then led by General Tomoyuki Yamashita, known as the “Tiger of Malaya,” having occupied Singapore, Vietnam, Malaya, Cambodia, Laos and Burma, now known as Myanmar.
When the Americans landed at Lingayen Gulf on Jan. 9, 1945 and marched towards Manila, the Japanese retreated to the south of Manila, thinking that the Americans had to cross the Pasig River.
The so-called “Rape of Manila” then occurred when the Japanese tried to kill everybody, including women and children who were hiding in churches, and even in hospitals.
When the Americans crossed the Pasig River, the Japanese retreated to the Cordilleras in Northern Luzon where they planned to make their last stand.
The place was called Bessang Pass and the battle did not occur in just one day, but five months from Jan. 9 to June 15.
It was on June 15, 1945 when the final assault of the 121st Infantry, then led by Major Conrado Rigor, made its final strike by the company of my brother Desi.
My other brother Willie was also with the 121st Infantry but was with another group.
My brother Desi told me they had difficulty in assaulting the Japanese who were on higher ground.
The Japanese even had tanks, my brother told me.
But, somehow with enough guts and determination, they succeeded in the assault , leading to the surrender of the Japanese forces.
But, Yamashita could not be found. In any case, the backbone of the Imperial Forces had no choice but to surrender. My brother Desi was awarded a Silver Star for that assault.
As for Yamashita, who hid with his staff in the wilds of Kalinga and Apayao farther north, he was later on trapped by another guerilla force.
Yamashita officially surrendered in Baguio City on Sept. 2, 1945, and was hanged in Los Banos for crimes against humanity for the Rape of Manila.
The Battle for Manila occurred on Feb. 3 to March 1945. The Rape of Manila was officially called the second worst rape of a city after Warsaw, Poland.
After the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on Aug. 6 and another atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan surrendered on Sept 2, 1945 on the USS Missouri.
What is really sad and lamentable about the Battle of Bessang Pass – a signal victory against colonialism – is that it is not included in the Araw ng Kagitingan which is officially celebrated as A Day of Heroes every April 9.
Sadly, only two presidents recognized the Battle of Bessang Pass, Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. and Fidel V. Ramos,who bth fought in wars.
It was Ramos who built a shrine to commemorate the Battle of Bessang Pass at Cervantes, Ilocos Sur in memory of those who sacrificed their lives there in the name of freedom.
I have been writing about this every year because I realize it can reflect the damaged culture of Filipinos.
Lamentably, we used to mark the Surrender of Bataan and the Fall of Corregidor as a national holiday until they included them in the Day of Heroes, and still no recognition of the Battle of Bessang Pass.
It is for this reason why once again, I urge President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to include among those celebrated as heroes the noble men who sacrificed their lives at the Battle of Bessang Pass.
Bongbong Marcos, an Ilocano, should realize the Battle of Bessang Pass was won by Ilocanos and Igorots where no less than 1,200 of them sacrificed their lives to uphold the freedom we are now enjoying.
