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What as
Samar Doing When MacArthur Waded Asore 60 Year Ago
(By Chito de la Torre )
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"It's a characteristic of Samareños not to celebrate
impact moments of their own history..."
Samareños may not be as aware as the Leyteños in
appreciating the significance of the yearly
commemoration of the Leyte Landings of October 20,
1944 that led to the liberation of the entire
Philippines and ultimately the end of World War II.
That is why, not a single town except perhaps Guiuan
in Eastern Samar - yet this one remains to be
actually seen, puts up flags and floats at least on
display, if not on a parade, every October 20th. If
at all, then every town could have been in the thick
of preparations since about the month of August -
September being too close to celebration day.
There’s no one to blame for this. It’s a
characteristic of Samareños not to celebrate impact
moments of their own history. For instance, little
concern is there for a continued research on exactly
what date should be fixed for the observance of a
Samar Day, other than a day in November or August.
Even if Samar province began with some pompous
celebrations for its own day, those efforts never
enticed searching minds to go deeper into Samar
Island’s most remote past. Contented, plainly, we
can say of ourselves? Contented, as in accepting
hook-like-and-sinker whatever is already in place or
an inveteracy - like, a community not collectively
pointing an accusing finger at those whom it very
well knows are druglords and at law enforcers who
are in the service of these lords of social evils.
In fact, nobody cares why fiestas are continually
being celebrated or why a so-so saint is being
venerated as a patron. Just because tradition
already kept them, everyone looks forward to
attending a fiesta year after year.
Liberation anniversary this year is on its 60th.
What care could Samareños manifest for it, and very
particularly for the day for which its commemoration
has to be grand yearly? Schools and colleges should
lead in finding a reason. Yes, except for profit, no
government agency, not even a true-bloodied Samarnon
non-government organization, is interested to take
up the cudgel.
Sadly, 60 years later from 1944, even those who
survived from the Leyte Landings - of course it was
not all Japs killed!, by goodness! - some local
veterans could only be talking about their benefits
or forgotten American citizenship. Never are they
coming out to tell what they did at least in the
hours before General Douglas MacArthur walked ashore
- so, how could today’s generation or those who had
not witnessed their deeds be expected to sympathize
with their present cause?
The absence of such interest, and alas, awareness!,
however, should not frustrate Samarnons from finding
out at least what role did the people of Samar play
in making the October 20, 1944 Liberation the way it
did.
++++++++
MacArthur's Promise Was Not Meant For Samarnons!
Never mind if you were in Dulag or Palo town of
Leyte or in Guiuan of Eastern Samar on October 18,
19 and 20 of year 1944. Never mind if you were in
the service of the United States Armed Forces at the
time, as a soldier, a member of an auxiliary corps,
or a laundrywoman, or maybe even an entertainer
(like today’s guest relation officer, or escort), or
a carrier of bags of ammunitions for running Leyteño
soldiers and armed members of the Liberation Forces
then under the command of world famed World War II
(which erupted on December 8, 1941) hero General
Douglas MacArthur.
Never mind at all, if you were that Samareña or
Samareño.
After all, Gen. MacArthur’s promise of “I shall
return” was not meant for you. It was intended only
for the Leyteños. After all, he did not care for the
Samareños and the Samareñas -just like how those
stupid American soldiers vituperated upon the rights
of the Samarnons in Balangiga town. MacArthur loved
only the people of Leyte, although on Oct. 20, 1944,
he eventually wanted the “people of the Philippines”
that he also cared for them, after all. Thus he
declared: “People of the Philippines: I have
returned. By the grace of Almighty God, our forces
stand again on Philippine soil - soil consecrated in
the blood of our two peoples. We have come,
dedicated and committed to the task of destroying
every vestige of enemy control over your daily
lives, and of restoring upon a foundation of
indestructible strength, the liberties of your
people.”
These premises decidedly spring forth explanations
why since even on October 20, 1944, and every year
thereafter, not a single Samareño or Samareña soul
cares about celebrating the day when MacArthur
fulfilled his promise or returning.
Promiser's Account
In the book General MacArthur's Reminiscences, the
article "The Return to Leyte, Philippines" is found.
It is written by MacArthur himself. The title of the
personal account strongly tells readers of the whole
world that MacArthur was narrating his promised
“return” and that it was his “Return to Leyte” and
not to anywhere else. This also hints at the fact
that MacArthur had been to Leyte, and not to Samar.
Verily. For he spent lovely and wonderful hours in
Leyte, and more than that, he found Leyte to be
ideal for the launch of his “proposed invasion”
because the success of that landing on Leyte “would
presage the eventual reoccupation of the entire
Philippine area." Verily. No one could go back to
where he had not been to. You first have to be in a
place, and leave it, before deciding to return to
it.
To the people of Leyte, he promised: “I shall
return.”
He did not say that to the people of Samar.
Moreover, he did not choose Samar for his invasion.
This meant that Samar was not ideal. Not even was
Mindanao. Wrote he: “The operation to take Leyte
without a preliminary landing in Mindanao was a most
ambitious and difficult undertaking. The objective
area was located over 500 miles from Allied fighter
cover. It was at the same time in the center of a
Japanese network of airfields covering the
Philippines.”
In the same article, he said: “Leyte was to be the
anvil against which I hope to hammer the Japanese
into submission in the central Philippines - the
springboard from which I could proceed to the
conquest of Luzon, for the final assault against
Japan itself.”
Too, bad to be true. If that’s what your position
is, think again. Perhaps, if you rethink, you would
care, even if MacArthur returned for the Leyteños
only.
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