Gen. Douglas McArthur fulfilled his promise

October 20 marked the 62nd year since General Douglas McArthur made good his promise to return to the Philippines and liberate the Filipinos from the oppressive Japanese rule.

With a massive military force of 5,300 warships and submarines, 12,000 warplanes and more than 200,000 soldiers, Gen. McArthur made his historic landing on the shores of Red Beach of Leyte Gulf and led the four-day battle against the Japanese. Leyte was chosen as the area of operation being one of the largest Philippine islands where sandy beaches and deep waters offered excellent opportunities for amphibious assaults, the lowlands and roads appropriate for tank infantry and airfield operations. It was the largest amphibious operation mounted by the American and Allied forces to date in the Pacific. Gen. McArthur was the supreme commander of sea, air and land forces drawn from across the Pacific region who led the recapture and liberation of the entire Philippine archipelago to end almost three years of Japanese occupation.

The Japanese came during the Commonwealth of the Philippines in December 1941. Largely devoid of natural resources like ores and petroleum to feed its industries, it had set its eyes on the Philippines as a vital source of important supplies, including rubber. The Philippines, also commanded the sea routes to Borneo and Sumatra through which oil was brought to Japan. Japan also wanted to retaliate at the United States for which oil was brought to Japan. Japan also wanted to retaliate at the United States for shutting them off from importing American supplies it needed.

In an attempt to make their occupation more legitimate, the Japanese established the Second Republic of the Philippines. However, this was more of a repressive regime rather than a republic. General Yamashita declared that all Filipinos over the age of 13 were to be killed. The city was systematically destroyed as the Japanese went through the city destroying buildings and massacring Filipinos. Houses would be set on fire and as the inhabitants rushed out, they would be gunned down or bayoneted. No public services were provided at all. Nobody went to school. There were no stores, hence the main livelihood was buying and selling. The people ate rice because there was no flour to bake breads. As a result, 260,000 Filipinos had actively engaged in guerrilla organizations and an even larger number operated underground, the most known of which is the Hukbalahap. Because of the general atmosphere of repression, violence and want, everybody pinned their hopes on the Gen. McArthur’s promise to return.

The Battle of Leyte lasted four days and killed over 60,000 Americans, 300,000 Japanese. Sadly, the greatest number killed was over a million Filipinos.

The landing of Gen. McArthur’s troops will forever be remembered by the Filipino people for it had realized a hope that a desperate people had held on to. Likewise, the American campaign to end the Japanese regime perpetuated the immeasurable honor and credit it obtained from liberating the Filipinos from a despotic rule.