The Great Escape and Manila as Open City

The attacks by the Japanese, landings of their army in many points of the country and its rapid advance towards Manila raised fears to Filipino leaders of possible defeat of combined American and Filipino forces. President Manuel Quezon met with his cabinet daily: Jorge Vargas, Jose Laurel, Jose Yulo, Quintin Paredes, Benigno Aquino Sr., Elpidio Quirino and others from December 12 to 14, 1941 to discuss ways to cushion the impact of total war in the people. General MacArthur felt deep concern for Quezon, too valuable to fall into the hands of the enemy and asked Quezon to escape with him through Corregidor then to Australia. Quezon upon hearing MacArthur’s plan, did not wish to leave Manila because people would get the impression that he was abandoning them, he asked the opinion of his cabinet which the total opinion was that “the people would understand” but they suggested that the entire Cabinet should accompany the president to Corregidor but Quezon replied that MacArthur said there was not enough room for all of them on the island. Quezon followed MacArthur’s advice to escape with him and chosen Osmeña to go with him, then asked Laurel and Roxas to accompany them to help in preparing papers and documents. Laurel and Vargas were disappointed for having been given responsibility to deal with the Japanese military administration but Quezon told them “somebody has to stay behind to protect the people.” US Colonial Government amended the Philippine Commonwealth Act No. 620 and added Commonwealth Act No. 670 granting the commonwealth president or his representative ran the government by himself - a legalized dictator. The proclamation of the state of emergency paved the way for the use of emergency and extraordinary powers without authorization by congress. 

Laurel was worried the role Quezon required him to cooperate with the Japanese and its implications which could lead to future misunderstanding. He expressed to President Quezon:
“Mr. President, it is easy that you are leaving us to take care of the situation with a view to the protection of our civilian population considering the fact that when the Japanese come we shall be performing several functions pertaining to municipal administration and administration of justice; but the Japanese may require or compel us to do many things which are inimical to our case, may I leave my position and go to the mountains. In my case, I’m asking this question because when you come back you might disapprove of our acts and accuse us of disloyalty.”

Quezon understand the significance of Laurel’s concern and felt that the best man to answer that question was General MacArthur. Learning Jorge Vargas had the same concern and question, he addressed these to MacArthur who replied:
“(We) Can’t do anything about it, George (referring to the imminent Japanese takeover of the Philippines). There is nothing you can do above it. Under International Law the occupying army must govern and rule and you cannot do anything but to obey what they tell you to do. Do anything except one thing, that is take the oath of allegiance to the Japanese. If you do, we will shoot you when you came back.”
...indeed a very hard situation for a politician serving under a colonial rule who’s abandoning its colony because of a more powerful colonialist who’s about to take over. 

As the Japanese moved closer and the defenses continued to fall, it became evident the VIPs have to be evacuated. On February 20, 1942, Quezon, his family and many of the Filipino staff left onboard a US Navy submarine. MacArthur remained to continue command of the defense. However, MacArthur accompanied by his wife Jean, four-year-old son Arthur, his Cantonese amah Ah Cheu, on March 11, left the Philippine island of Corregidor and his forces, which were surrounded by the Japanese. They traveled in PT boats commanded by John D. Bulkeley of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 3, made up of six, 77 feet Elco Patrol Torpedo (PT) Boats which scratches the original plan to evacuate him on the submarine “Permit.” These PT Boats were the newest, fastest and the smallest boats in the US Navy’s fleet. They had wooden hulls, powerful engines and a 15 man crew. They were armed with four torpedoes, .50 caliber Browning machine guns and .30 caliber Lewis Guns, sailed through stormy seas patrolled by Japanese warships and reached Mindanao two days later. From there, MacArthur and his party flew to Australia in a pair of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, ultimately arriving in Melbourne by train on 21 of March. In Australia, he made his famous speech in which he declared, "I came through and I shall return". On Bataan, the reaction to MacArthur's escape was mixed, with many American and Filipino troops feeling bitter and betrayed. When General Jonathan Wainwright which MacArthur left all his responsibilities broke the news to his generals "they were all at first depressed by the news …But I soon saw that they understood just as I understood." As the news broke across the globe, to Joseph Goebbels - MacArthur was a "fleeing general", while Benito Mussolini labeled him a “coward.” The US decided that the best way to counter this negative image was to award MacArthur the Medal of Honor.

When the Japanese invaded the Philippines in 1941, Jorge Vargas was designated National Defense secretary by President Quezon, few weeks later, he was appointed as mayor of the Greater Manila area in 1941. His responsibilities included administering the open city upon the arrival of occupational troops of the Imperial Japanese Army on January 2, 1942. He became chairman of the Japanese-sponsored Philippine Executive Commission, was once asked by the Japanese to assume the Presidency, but he declined and Jose Laurel succeeded him. Upon the declaration of the country’s capital Manila an "Open City" it was to announce officially that the city is demilitarized during a war, announcing that they have abandoned all defensive efforts and entitling the city immunity from attack under international law. The attacking armies of the opposing military should respect and expected not to bomb or otherwise attack the city, but simply to march in. The "Open City" concept and objective is to protect the city's historic landmarks, ancestral houses and civilian living in the city from an unnecessary battle.

The City of Manila was not attack, lives were saved as well as the buildings, historical/ancestral houses, American colonial military and their government offices. Japanese military forces marched towards the City of Manila to occupy the beautiful Spanish City’s “Pearl of the Orient.” During the Japanese reign of terror in the City of Manila, they officially changed anything American and its collaborators’ names of streets, parks and buildings to Pilipino/Japanese names:

# Dewey Boulevard - "CALLE HEIWA (Peace)"
# Taft Avenue - "CALLE DAITOA (Greater Far East)"
# Harrison Boulevard - "CALLE KOA (Rising Sun)"
# Jones Bridge - "TULAY BANZAI"
# Quezon Boulevard - "CALLE MULAWIN"
# Plaza Ferguson - "PLAZA SIMBAHAN"
# Plaza Lawton - "PLAZA BURGOS"
# Plaza McKinley - "PLAZA MALAKI"
# Plaza Willard - "PLAZA MALIIT"
# California Street - in Ermita "CALLE ILOKOS"
# Carolina Street - in Malate "CALLE BATAAN"
# Chicago Street - Port Area "CALLE MAKILING"
# A. Craig Street - in Sampaloc "CALLE BAGONG AYOS"
# Florida Street - in Malate "CALLE ISABELA"
# Gov. Forbes Street - in Sampaloc "CALLE SAMPAGUITA"
# Daugherty Street - in Pandacan "CALLE SOLIMAN"
# Kansas Street - in Singalong "CALLE CAGAYAN"
# McGregor Street - in Quiapo "CALLE WATAWAT"
# Nebraska Street - in Ermita "CALLE SORSOGON"
# Omaha Street - in Port Area "CALLE LINGAYEN"
# Pennsylvania Street - in Malate "CALLE MALOLOS"
# Smith Street - in Paco "CALLE YAKAL"
# Tacoma Street - Port Area "CALLE CABANATUAN"
# Tennessee Street - in Malate "CALLE MINDORO"
# Washington Street - in Sampaloc "CALLE MABUHAY"
# Wright Street - in Malate "CALLE KAWANG-GAWA"
# Mehan Garden - "JARDIN BOTANICO"
# Harrison Park - "RIZAL PARK"

On October 25, 1944 General Douglas MacArthur waded ashore at Leyte to announced: "People of the Philippines, I have returned." The "Liberation of Manila" (Battle of Manila), started on the 3rd of February until the 3rd of March 1945, by Americans and retreating outgunned and out numbered Japanese forces. The one-month American forces continuous air-bombing, cannon balls flying, buildings/houses burning from American GI's napalms, military tanks smashed the ancient city's small gates to go through and pulverized Manila's beautiful cobbled stone streets, mortal, grenades, powerful bullets from automatic rifles, all these happening continuously 24 hours, for a month to avoid US Military casualties, Manila was flat on the ground and was named "the second most devastated city of world war second after Warsaw." The "Liberation of Manila was a terrible ruthless slaughter of great number of innocent civilians, women, children who were caught in between and had nothing to hide, it was a total devastation of human lives and a beautiful historical city. It was the scene of one of the ugliest inhumane urban fighting in the world that ended the three years of Japanese brutal military occupation in the Philippines (1942–1945). The city's possession was General Douglas MacArthur's key to victory in the campaign of reconquest of a US colony.
- ka tony
the 27th of October ‘18

June 15, 1935, before the scheduled U.S. controlled Philippine Commonwealth Presidential election candidates:

# ...Manuel Quezon of Nacionalista Party - for president, his vice president was Sergio Osmeña (then a senate president). Obviously supported by his friend General Douglas MacArthur and the U.S. Colonial Government.
# ...Emilio Aguinaldo of National Socialist Party - for president, his vice president Raymundo Melliza (former governor of Iloilo). His candidacy was supported by the organization he created “Veteranos de la Revolucion.”
# ...Bishop Gregorio Aglipay of Republican Party - for president, his vice president Norberto Nabong. Aglipay was supported by his co founder of Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan Church) Isabelo de los Reyes (the Father of Philippine Socialism) and the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP), a left-wing party organized by Crisanto Evangelista. 

This political enmity resulted in a bitter feud that characterized the 1935 presidential race for the then newly established Philippine Commonwealth. Before the 1935 presidential election, in 1899 Manuel Quezon was a major in Aguinaldo’s army in its fight against the Americans. He was accused of murdering an American POW and was imprisoned for six months, but was cleared of the crime for lack of evidence. When Aguinaldo was captured at Palanan on 1901, Aguinaldo took an oath of allegiance to the United States, was granted a pension from the U.S. government but was forced to retired to private life. The conflict between the two during the election was so intense that Aguinaldo discharged Quezon from his Veteranos de la Revolucion and sarcastically said Quezon never belonged to the group in the first place. Quezon retaliated with his treacherous political campaign against Aguinaldo, came out with leaflets about Bonifacio’s and Luna’s deaths under the bloody hands of Aguinaldo, he also cut off his government pension. The two rivals was a regular ugly staple of newspapers and social gossips. 

Quezon won the race by a landslide and Bishop Gregorio Aglipay quickly accepted the results but Aguinaldo did not want to accept his defeat, released a statement that if he were defeated at the polls, he and his followers would resort to force. Aguinaldo protested the 1935 presidential election results which he believed was rigged in Quezon’s favor; his supporters even planned to disrupt the inauguration and assassinate the winners though was not carried out. On December 8, 1941, the day after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces invaded the Philippines. Because of the sure capture by the enemy, President Quezon and other top government officials had to escape to Corregidor along with General MacArthur. Quezon gave his responsibilities to his cabinet and political colleagues: Jorge Vargas, Jose Laurel, Manuel Roxas, Benigno Aquino Sr., Jose Yulo, Quintin Paredes, Antonio de las Alas and Teofilo Sison, expected them to collaborate with the enemy to save Filipino civilian’s lives. MacArthur left his responsibility as the Allied commander in the Philippines was handed down to General Jonathan Wainwright whom he promoted as “temporary” Lieutenant General. Quezon and MacArthur left the island of Corregidor in a PT Boat, moving on to Mindanao, then Australia, Quezon went to the United States and set up a government in exile in Washington D.C. Emilio Aguinaldo once again fell into disgrace and again collaborated with the new colonialists.
- ka tony
19th of October ‘18

Manila Men in the New World

Some 60,000 Filipinos sailed on the galleons from Manila to Acapulco over two and half centuries mostly as crews. Many escaped upon reaching Mexico never to return to the Philippines. Most of the Filipino sailors were natives “Indios-Tagalogs.” There were also many who belonged to the Mestizo class, who traveled as merchants, technicians or functionaries. Filipinos had been in the New World much longer than any Asians but the term "Filipino” or "insulares-creoles" during Spanish colonial time are referred to Spaniards born in the Philippines. In Nueva España (Mexico), natives from the Philippines were known as “Luzon Indios, “Manila Men” or “Chinos” simply because they were in Manila Galleon loaded with Chinese scented spices, luxurious silk and multitude of Oriental goods. There’s a big probability that most Chinese in Mexico are actually Filipino back then.

In another part of the New World when "Manila Men" were discovered in the state of Louisiana, their villages were already established, show that they have been living there longer than 1763 though no known documents that may proof that they have arrived earlier and possibly way earlier than the Mayflower just like the ones who established themselves at Morro Bay, California in 1587 that preceded the landing of the Mayflower Pilgrims in 1620 at Plymouth, Massachusetts. They were called “Manila Men” because they said to be mariners who escaped from the ships of the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade and they found their way into the harsh and unforgiving bayous that’s an ideal place to hide. These people who settled in the bayous were called "Manilamen," "Manillians" and "Tagalas” established their community at St. Malo, located southeast of New Orleans. St. Malo is named after the leader of a group of maroons group of enslaved Africans led by Jean Saint Malo escaped Lake Borgne, with weapons obtained from plantation slaves, Jean Saint Malo was captured by Spanish forces and was hanged in front of St. Louis Cathedral in what is now called Jackson Square, New Orleans.

On January 8, 1815, the Battle of New Orleans became the final major battle of the War of 1812. Outnumbered American forces commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing New Orleans and the vast territory the United States had acquired from the Louisiana Purchase. Many Manila Men joined the U.S. Army and fought against the British, later on some would participate in the American Civil War. Most became fishermen and introduced the process of dried shrimp which is still popular in the area. Since most if not all were men, rarely women live in the village, those fishermen who did have families had them live in New Orleans or in other localities. The reason for this can be attributed to the isolated and harsh conditions of the surroundings. Since there were no Filipino women, the Manila Men often courted and married local Cajun, Creole, Indian, Black women and others. Some of them enrolled their children in schools in New Orleans.

St. Malo was destroyed by a hurricane in 1915. In 1965, Manila Men’s Village, the last of the settlement was destroyed by Hurricane Betsy. No physical remains of any of these dwellings exist today. Between the late 1980s until early 2005, there was extensive and promising documentation of this part of Filipino history. Unfortunately, by August 2005, all were completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
- ka tony
11th of September, '18