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