Evening star., 1942-10-04
FILIPINO GUERRILLAS CONTINUE FIGHTING
History Proves Islands Natives Won't Be Pushed Around
The Filipinos fight on!

Inc F1uplnOS uRnL on!
Filipino guerrillas, hiding in the jungles
OF Luzon and Mindanao are carrying on
the war in the Philippines against the
japanese invaders. At night they come
out of their mountain fastness and go
down to the coastal plains to harass the
enemy, destroying his stores of supplies
and disrupting his lines of communica-
ton.
These unpacified Filipinos are fighting
no less bitterly and fiercely than the
Yugoslavs, according to President Man
uel L. Quezon, head of the Philippine
governments exile in Washington, who
keeps we'll informed of developments in
his country despite Japanese zeal in
cutting the Philippines off from the
non-Japanese world. Since the fall of
Corregidor last May practically all the
news about the Philippines reaching the
American public has come from the
Toxic propaganda radio.
President Quezon learned recently
that the city of zamboanga was burned
down by the inhabitants to make that
most important seaport of Mindanao
useless to the invading Japanese. No
body ordered the natives to destroy their
beautiful city, where the largest United
States Army garrison in the Southern
Philippines was located. The Filipinos,
In following scorched-earth policy, act
ed on their own initiative, according to
President Quezon.
Zamboanga, most celebrated Philippine
place in United States Army songs and
stories. was the second seaport burned
by the Filipinos in the face of advancing
Japanese. When it appeared certain
shortly after Bataans fall that the
enemy would occupy Cebu, main Visayan
Island seaport and second largest
Philippine city, the Filipinos razed it.
Civilian Patriots Help Fight.
Uncaptured Filipino soldiers form the
backbone of the guerrilla army. These
are reinforced by armed civilian patriots
who prefer the hard, dangerous life of
snipers and saboteurs to the Toxic
made peace In Japanese occupied cities,
towns and barrios. Some uncaptured
American soldiers are presumed to be
with these Filipino guerrillas.
Believed to be the spark plug Of the
guerrillas is 50-year- Brig. Gen.
Manuel Roxas. who donned the uniform
CT a Philippine Army Reserve officer
when the Japanese attacked his country.
lie served on Gen. Douglas MacArthur's
staff and escaped to Mindanao to con-
tinue the fight there before Bataan's
fall. He was secretary of finance in
President Quezons pre-Pearl Harbor
cabinet.
During the campaign for Philippine
independence in the 192os and 193Os he,
as Quezon's emissary, was a familiar
figure In Washington and was noted for
his stirring eloquence in appearances
before various congressional committees.
Alice Roosevelt Longwofth once said he
was the most eloquent speaker she had
ever heard. He is generally recognized
as the most brilliant of the American
educated generation of Filipino public
men.
In Filipino circles in the United States
a story is going around that Gen. Roxas
spurned his chance to escape to the
United States On the last Flying
Fortress to leave Mindanao carrying
Army officers to Australia, Gen. RoxAs
and another Filipino ofhcer were candi-
dates for the vacant seat. The two
Filipinos decided to toss coin. Then
suddenly Gen. Rovas pocketed the coin
and pushed the other odlcer, who was Of