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| Mt. Arayat facing Magalang, 1938 |
When Japanese forces invaded the Philippines, resistance movements are already established to resist the new occupiers through guerilla warfare. In Pampanga, various guerilla groups, particularly Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon, known as Hukbalahap and the all Chinese Philippine Chinese Anti- Japanese Guerilla Forces known as Wa Chi took their respective sanctuary in majestic Mt. Arayat because of its defense and strategic importance. The Japanese made numerous to overran their camps however they failed. One of these encounters happened in Camansi in Mt. Arayat. Hukbalahap commander Eusebio Aquino, fondly known as Commander Bio and amazona Remedios Gomez known as Commander Liwayway, led Squadron 3-V and they nearly defeated the attacking Japanese soldiers. Aside from being a battlefield, Mt. Arayat also served as a route for American soldiers to escape from Death March, particularly Capt. Russel Volckmann and Capt. Donald Blackburn. They were taken care by Eusebio Aquino in Camansi until they continued their journey to northern Luzon and there, they established the largest guerilla force in northern Luzon known as United States Army in the Philippines- Northern Luzon known as USAFIP-NL. This guerilla group was responsible for the capture of Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita in 1945.
Before the Americans liberated Luzon, a series of encounters between Hukbalahap, Wa Chi and Japanese forces happened in Mt. Arayat and its environs. On March 5, 1943, Japanese soldiers from Cabiao, Nueva Ecija attacked the Wa Chi camp in Mt. Arayat. Japanese warplanes and artillery shelling initially pounded them and they escaped to northwestern part of the forest. Since then, the Japanese soldiers have attacked different guerilla positions inside the mountain. On September 6, 1944, around 2,000 men of combined Hukbalahap and Wa Chi squadrons attacked the Japanese camp in Mt. Arayat. They managed to capture the camp while the Japanese retreated. In this all-out offensive of Hukbalahap and Wa Chi, they killed and wounded more than 300 Japanese soldiers and captured 140 Japanese-sponsored Philippine Constabulary troops.
When the Americans came to liberate Luzon, these guerilla groups came and welcomed American liberators. When the Japanese encircle the advance units of 148th Infantry, Sixth Army in barrio Sta Maria in Magalang, squadrons of Wa Chi came to aid the Americans. They were able to kill 40 Japanese soldiers. On January 25, 1945 when Magalang was on the verge of liberation, Hukbalahap conferred with American forces and attacked the town center around 11:00pm. In this short fight, Hukbalahap managed to kill 40 Japanese soldiers and one of them was a captain. On the following day, Americans entered the town.
After the war, the US Army recognized Wa Chi as a guerilla unit, while Hukbalahap wasn't recognized due to accusations of being a Communist group. Huks continued their armed struggle until they were totally defeated in the 1950s. More than twenty years later, they were finally recognized by the Philippine government as a resistance group during the Japanese occupation.
Photo Credits:
Mt. Arayat, Pampanga, Luzon, P.I., 1938, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Sources:
Bartolo, Louie Aldrin L. and Dizon, Lino L., The Magalang Book: The Historical Life and Culture of a Kapampangan Town (1605-2015), National Commission for Culture and the Arts, 2016
Lanzona, Vina A. Amazons of the Huk Rebellion, Gender, Sex and Revolution in the Philippines, University of Wisconsin Press, 2009
Phil Chinese Anti Japanese Vol Corps guerilla recognition papers, Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO)
The Liberation of Magalang
amlatmagaleno.blogspot.com/2017/01/24the-liberation-of-magalang.html
