Assemble in Agusan Valley: World War-Ii in Mindanao

By Ray L. Burdeos

First, I want to begin by showing some of the sights of Agusan Valley and its beauty, wonders and dangers the place was known before as an "unexplored and inhospitable jungle." This was where the central theme of this story hap-pened. Looking at the map below, Agusan is surrounded by Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Davao and Surigao provinces on the island of Mindanao.

The valley is in the province of Agusan on the island of Mindanao, the second biggest of the 7,010 islands which comprised the country of the Philippines. The early inhabi-tants of the valley were from different tribes: Manobo, Bagobo, Mamanwa, Banwaon and mainly of Malayan race. The largest area of Agusan province is the rainforest. It has deadly pre-dators such as the killer bees, crocodiles, pythons, scorpions, and leech. The leech is a blood-sucking worm that sticks its head into the exposed parts of the human body and injects a thinning solution; then slowly sucking the blood of a victim up to five times its size and sometimes more. In many cases, the victim is not even aware that it is happening during the attack.

Another annoying attack to humans is unleash by buffalo gnats (a two-winged insect which sometimes bites) swarm all around an exposed part of a human body, usually the head, where and when the gnats get into the eye, ear, or nose, a victim tend to panic and an awful consequence could happen.

The last, but not least, of the dangers is a suyak which is used as booby trap by natives for hunting wild animals for food using a razor-sharp bamboo poles positioned upright above the ground. And sometimes humans could be victims of this deadly animal trap.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 12, 2016
• ISBN: 9781504978408

Ray L. Burdeos

Ray Legaspi Burdeos, born in Butuan, in the province of Agusan, Philippines, was a college student at Mapua Institute of Technology when he enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard on October 10, 1955, at Sangley Point, Cavite, Philippines. Upon retirement after twenty-three years of active-duty service, he was a recipient of the Coast Guard Achievement Medal, the Commandant Letter of Commendation, the National Defense Medal and five Good Conduct Medals.   Ray earned a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Health Care Sciences, with a major in Health Care Administration from the University of Texas in Galveston, Texas. He was formerly the manager of the Department of Defense Outpatient Clinic at St. Mary’s Hospital in Galveston, Texas.  

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© 2016 Ray L. Burdeos. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 03/04/2017

ISBN: 978-1-5049-7841-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-7842-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-7840-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016902504

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CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Before the War

Japan Creates Fear in East Asia And South Pacific

Lt. Guillen’s Call to Active Duty

Volunteers Sign Up; Cayetano Serrano Reports for Active Duty

Pedro P. Alviola Returns to Active Duty from Retired Status

Philippine National Election Proceeds as Scheduled

Stressful Time in Agusan

Japanese Warplanes Bomb Pearl Harbor

Filipinos in Segregated U.S. Army Regiment Organized; U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Recruit Filipinos

Japanese Troops Land On Mindanao

President Manuel L. Quezon Escapes Corregidor

President Roosevelt Conveys A Message to the Filipinos

Gen. Homma’s Troops Land at Lingayen Beachhead

Maj.Gen. Sharp Transfers His Headquarters to Mindanao

Japanese Warplane Bomb and Strafe S.S.Mayon

Gen. Douglas MacArthur Escapes Corregidor

The fall of Bataan and The Death March

Cayetano Serrano and Others Promoted

Japanese Kawaguchi Detachment Lands on Mindanao

Corregidor Falls; Gen. Wainwright Surrenders

Col. Ruperto Kangleon Surrenders; Organize Guerrilla Unit

Japanese Troops March To Butuan

Brig. Gen. Guy O. Fort Surrenders

Guerrilla Resistance Movement in the Entire Mindanao Begins to Form

Japanese Garrison in Butuan Established

Lt. Col. Wendell W. Fertig Set Up Headquarters in Misamis Occidental

Capt. Handa Befriends a Young Local Boy; Praises Another Young Boy

Capt. Hirai Becomes the New Garrison Commander; Maria Evangelista Dies; Lt. Lombard Escapes; Col. Kangleon Tells Guerrillas to Surrender

Col. Kangleon Walks Out Of Butuan Jail

USS Tambor Surfaces at Butuan Bay

Japanese Collaborators Spy on Civilians; Lt. Perez Caught

Lt. Col. McClish Orders Attack on Butuan

USS Narwhal Surfaces and Delivers Guns, Ammunition, and Stores

Lt. Guillen and Lt. Irizari Escape Japanese Prison Camp in Surigao

Gen. MacArthur Promotes Fertig to Full Colonel

Lt. Adolfo (Popong) Sanchez Surrenders

A Filipino Stranded in Chicago Enlist in the Coast Guard

Operatives of the 978th Signal Service Company Drop off Behind Enemy Lines at Butuan Bay

Col. Fertig Retreats to Agusan; Jose P. Laurel Becomes President

USS Narwhal Surfaces at Butuan Bay on Its 7th War Patrol

President Quezon’s Term Was To Expire, and There Was A Problem

USS Narwhal Surfaces at Butuan Bay; McKay Family

Capt. Hirai to Lt. Calo: Surrender or Else

Cdr. Frank D. Latta Receives the Navy Cross Medal as a Lifeline of the Guerrillas

Gen. MacArthur Appoints Col. Fertig Commander of 10th Military District In Mindanao

USS Narwhal Surfaces at Butuan Bay on Its 10th War Patrol

Battle at Bit-os Hills; Lt. Col. Childress Receives Silver Star Medal

Japanese Warplanes Attack Talacogon and Butuan Simultaneously

US Marine Aviators Move to Malabang Airfield

Gen. Tomochika’s Troops Retreat to Agusan Valley

Col. Fertig’s Headquarters Move South Of the Valley

Japanese Forces Return to Butuan In Full Force

Manuel L. Quezon, President of the Philippine Commonwealth, Dies in Exile

Japanese Ships Dock in Surigao

Jose Ong Oh Wanted by the Japanese

U.S. 6th Army Lands at Red Beach, Palo Leyte, the Philippines

Japanese Troops and Civilians Withdraw to Surigao and Continue To the Agusan Valley

Firefight at Kellogg Sawmill In Butuan

Massacre in Manila

Gen. MacArthur Orders Lt. Gen. Eichelberger to Liberate Mindanao

Maj. Khodr’s 113th Inf. Regiment Travels to Tinigbasan

155th Infantry Regiment Arrives at Butuan Bay

Gen. Eichelberger Sends a Message To MacArthur, Reporting Mindanao Success

Memorials

Epilogue

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my mother-in-law Rosalina Decena Cura of Camiling, Tarlac in the Philippines.

When she was hospitalized for a severe leg injury at Doctors Hospital in Tarlac in 2001, I asked her a personal and sensitive question whether it was true that she was the granddaughter of the late governor of Tarlac that was kept secret since her birth.

She paused, and then looked at her children who were around at her hospital room.

Yes she said and closed her eyes. That was all she said. Later that day, she died peacefully.

I had to ask her the question for the sake of my American children and grandchildren who wanted to know their ancestors in the Philippines.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I want to thank the following contributors for their compelling and poignant true stories about World War II in Agusan Valley:

Sgt. Ignacio Palad, Cpl. Elpidio V. Montilla, Cpl. Nicasio Magno, Sgt. Epimaco G. Galero, Cpl. Iluminado B. Domingo, Chief Mario Sibayan USN, Chief Mariano Montilla USN, Chief Nestor Palugod Enriquez USN, Lt. Phil Purganan USCG, Sgt. Pelagio Valdez USA, Sgt. Harold Liban USA, Col. Cedric Jasmin USA, Col. Angelus R. Tupaz PNP, Dr. Cas Garcia, Theresa Gangl, Pedro S. Alviola, Elmo Montilla, Toto Guillen, Melchor Rosales, Mel Lasam, Marge Lombard, Erie Puyot, Gilda Perez Ceniza, Araceli Sanchez Gustilo, Edgar Urbi, Rogelio Rosales, Hernando Curilan, Nick Suzuki Flores, Camilo Esguerra, Alice Managbanag, Nandong Piencenaves, Bib Sanchez, Nestor Luna, and Vic De Jesus.

INTRODUCTION

The Agusan Valley is well-known for many years as unexplored and inhospitable jungle in southern province of Agusan. Agusan is surrounded by Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Davao and Surigao provinces on the island of Mindanao.

image001.jpg

Southern Mindanao

Mindanao is the second biggest of the 7,010 enchanted islands that comprises the country of the Philippines.

The early inhabitants of the province of Agusan were members of Manobo, Mamanwa, and Higaonon tribes. Manobos were once attacked by Moros (Muslims) from the Sultanate of Maguindanao in 15th century. Moros were known to be colonizers of the aborigines, first known inhabitants, on Mindanao.

When the Spanish came and brought Christianity to Agusan, the Augustinian Recollects of the Roman Catholic Church established a mission in Linao (and what is now Bunawan) in the year 1614.

The largest land area of Agusan is the tropical rainforest in the valley. It has many known predators such as killer bees, crocodiles, pythons, scorpions, and leech. The leech is a blood-sucking worm that sticks its head into the exposed parts of the human body and injects a thinning solution so it can slowly sucks the blood of a victim up to five times its size and sometimes more. In many cases, the victim is not even aware that it is happening during the attack. And then there is the buffalo gnats, a two-winged insect that sometimes bites, swarming all around an exposed part of a human body, usually the head, where and when the gnats get into the eye, ear, or nose, the victim tend to panic and awful consequence may lead to an injury.

In addition to the predators, another danger a human being faces is a suyak, which is used as booby trap by natives for hunting wild animals for food. It is a razor-sharp bamboo poles positioned upright above the ground. Sometimes humans become victims of this deadly animal trap.

The valley is protected by two mountain ranges on the eastern and western sides during typhoon season. The valley is known for its redwood trees, the Mahogany, the best in the world. It is the habitat of the majestic Philippine eagle and kalaw, a rare bird, believed to be the only one of its kind in the world found on Mt. Hilong-Hilong.

image002.jpg

Majestic Philippine Eagle

(Courtesy of Rey V. Seneres)

There are eighteen small and large waterfalls cascade over rocks with sparkling beauty into the pristine rivers and creeks. Most of the waterfalls are surrounded by a variety of beautiful orchids; when in bloom their petals turned into exquisite shades of colors. Most cling on trees receiving nutrients from organic matter that is collected and some cling on rocks, a scene to behold.

In the valley, there is also a vast area of marsh land, home to the thousands of migrating birds coming as far away as China, Japan and Russia during the cold winter season.

image003.jpg

Agusan Marshland

(Courtesy of Bob Tan)

At the center of the valley is Agusan River, the longest and deepest river in Mindanao. Its tributaries are the Monkayo River from Compostela Valley, Wawa River from Bayugan, Simulao River from Loreto, and Adgawan River from Lapaz meeting at Sabang Gibong in Talacogon.

image004.jpg

Agusan River (Courtesy of Bob Tan)

The Agusan River rises at higher level from southwest and flows northwest for 240 miles away passing through the ancient and capital town of Butuan into the picturesque Butuan Bay. It’s where Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese explorer and circumnavigator sailed under the Spanish flag, passed through Surigao Strait to Butuan Bay in the year 1521. It was the first time white men from Europe had set foot on this enchanted island.

image005.jpg

Lolong a 21-ft long crocodile in captivity, 2012

(Courtesy of Benjie Lasam)

image006.jpg

Banayakaw Falls

(Courtesy of Abe Montilla)

image007.jpg

Bitaug Tree (Credit: ButuanCityLibrary)

In the barrio of Magallanes, over 500 years old, circa 1940

image008.jpg

Butuan Bay at Magallanes coastline

(Courtesy of Rey V. Seneres)

During the time of colonization of the Philippines after the Spanish American War in 1898 in which the Spanish lost, the island of Mindanao was a difficult problem for the Americans to govern, because of the Moro (Muslim) Insurrectionists.

On August 17, 1899, Maj. John J. Pershing, an American soldier, was assigned as adjutant general to the Department of Mindanao and Jolo, to stop the insurrectionists. He took charge of the military command of Iligan, in Lanao province. He immediately tried to win friends with some of the leaders of the insurrectionists by trying to learn their native language first. Fortunately, he was successful winning friends with some of the leaders, but the majority of the Moros rejected the coming of the Americans. Sadly, the insurrection continued and in the end the battle was fought at Lake Lanao. Pershing and his troops won the tough battle decisively thus ended the insurrection.

While Pershing was at his post for almost three years, not only was he friendly with the natives but also fell in love with a beautiful mixed race Filipina, Joaquina Bondoy Ignacio, and as a result had two beautiful children with her. The whereabouts of the woman and her children were no longer known. And the Moros chose not to talk about it anymore.

This book is also about the stories of individuals’ compelling and poignant personal accounts of what happened to them during the war from 1941 to 1945.

May 19, 1941

BEFORE THE WAR

In Far East and South Pacific, the Imperial Japanese forces’ recent attack and occupation of Nanking, China, the Philippines was alarmed. The Japanese soldiers were accused of outright brutalities against innocent civilians. It was estimated close to two hundred thousand Chinese died at the hands of the Japanese invaders.

The leaders of the other countries in the region were also shocked, alarmed, and concerned about which country Japan would attempt to attack and occupy next with the same level of violence and how many more innocent civilians would become victims of atrocities.

Most Filipinos deeply believed that the next target by Japan was the Philippines, for two compelling reasons: (1) to get rid of the Americans and their two large military bases of the Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard at Sangley Point Naval Station in Cavite and the Army and Army Air Corps at Clark Air Base in Angeles, Pampanga, and (2) to take control of the rich natural resources of the Philippines.

Japan had developed large military forces of the army, air force, and navy. The navy with ten aircraft carriers more than what the United States had during that period. It appeared Japan was ready to go to full scale war.

In Europe, there was also an alarming situation developing. Nazi Germany was parading its large number of military personnel on active duty, powerful weapons, naval ships, and aircrafts. And it was believed that Germany had the clear ambition: to take control most of Europe, if not all. To test the impressive power of its armed forces, Germany attacked and occupied Czechoslovakia and Poland quite easily in 1938.

image010.jpg

St. Joseph Cathedral

Built on March 19, 1863

(Source: Rey V. Seneres, Butuan Memories)

image011.jpg

United Church of Christ

(Source: Rey V. Seneres, Butuan Memories)

Also during this period, between 1935 and 1941, the Philippines offered compassionate refuge for approximately 1,300 Jews from Germany after the Nazi German Government implemented the Nuremberg Laws depriving German Jews of their birthright: German citizenship. Many Jews fled. The Philippines was the only known country in the world that offered the Jews entry visas. A few of the Jews found their home in Mindanao.

And now the town of Butuan, capital of Agusan province, was once known as the Kingdom of Butuan before the Spanish came centuries ago. Butuan rose to commercial prominence in the 10th century and declined in 13th century. It celebrated a town fiesta in honor of its patron saint, St. Joseph. It was a whole day and night of celebration with different kinds of entertainment and joyful activities. The people of Butuan always looked forward to this annual event on May 19. It was customary practice to begin the celebration of the fiesta with a Holy Mass at a Roman Catholic St. Joseph Cathedral and a church service at United Church of Christ of Butuan. The churchgoers of both churches, wore their best clothes for the occasion.

The Holy Mass was in Latin performed at that time by Fr. Anthony Van Odijk. Other Dutch missionary priests in attendance were Fr. Anthony Jensen, Fr. Anton Van Baest, Fr.Joseph Wiertz, John Bouter, and Fr. Peter Reichwein.

After church mass and service, the churchgoers met at Guingona Park where most of the residents gathered to celebrate the fiesta. Tickets for carnival rides and stage shows inside a tent were sold quickly. A pony ride for kids was also offered and the waiting line was sometimes long, but it ran smoothly that no one seemed to complain. In other words, everyone was having fun.

Local schools offered free stage shows using local talents in folk dancing and singing performances at the kiosk. One performance was a Mexican folk dance choreographed by no other than the best dancer in town, Salvador Badong Calo. He volunteered every year during the fiesta to present a folk dance for free to the general public to watch and enjoy.

There was one very popular performance by the natives of the Valley called estukada. It was a kind of swords play. It kept the crowd amused and fascinated. It was just a day that all family members enjoyed being together.

Sorry to say war was looming that it