Evening star., 1942-03-06
Filipino Resistance

FnlpInO resistance
One of the valuable results of Cen
eral MacArthur's prolonged stand
on Bataan Peninsula has been to
kindle growing popular resistance
throughout the Philippine archi-
pelago to the Japanese invaders.
Hardly day passes without news of
some local success of guerilla bands
operating in the forests and jungles
all the way from Northern Luzon to
Southern Mindanao. These bands
often are led by detachments of
American soldiers and are composed
partly of trained native troops
Philippine Scouts or commonwealth
militiamen. In the aggregate, these
forces appear to be giving the Japa-
nese considerable trouble. In Luzon
alone, the japanese are reported to
have detached much of their
strength in Bataan to guard other
vital points on the island, while
in Mindanao the fierce Moro tribes
men are massing for holy war
sworn to on the Koran. The fact
that the Japanese have felt obliged
to make further diversions by bonn
bardmentS or landings on the inter-
mediate islands, such as Cebu and
NegroS, indicates the widespread
character of Filipino rebellion
against japanese rule. 1t should be
remembered that the Philippine ar
chipelago consists of many islands
with a total population exceeding
100000. That is a lot of territory
and people to conquer. So long as the
Filipino will to resist is strong, the
Japanese have tough, prolonged
job ahead of them. AS yet, they have
only partial control of Luzon and
Mindanao-the two ends of an
island chain extending fully 1000
miles.
Japan's lightning thrust at Luzon
in the first days of the war. Mac
Arthur's abandonment of Manila,
and his retirement to Bataan before
overwhelming forces, were sharp
tests of Filipino morale. The Japa-
nese promptly produced few native
Quislings to head a compliant re-
gime, and either induced or COM
PEELED certain respectable PERSONAL
tiles like the veteran leader Agui-
naldo and Vice President Osmena to
lend their names to the puppet show.
If Bataan and Corregidor had fallen
quickly before the japanese assault, it
is possible that Filipino morale might
have broken and a despairing peo-
pie bowed to the inevitable. But the
steady thunder of MacArthur's guns
and the news of his astounding sue
ceSses over aSsailantS outnumbering
his troops ten to one spread through
out the islands like wildfire, kindling
the fierce spirit of a freedom loving
people nurtured for many years on
the prospect of eventual independ-
ence.
One of the more important factors
in this spirit Of resistance Is the
personality of Macarthur himself.
Even before the war, the general had
won the hearts Of the Filipino peo-
Pile. Now, his amazing deeds are
becoming legend, and he Is in
vested in Filipino eyes with almost
mystic qualities of omnipotence and
invincibility. History records sew
eral outstanding instances of white
leaders who have so won the enthuSi-
astic loyalty of Orientals that they
performed prodigies of valor under
his command. Such were Chinese
Gordon and Lawrence of Arabia. The
only other white commander in the
present war who compares with Mac
Arthur is the late Duke of Aosta,
whose native Askaris fought beside
him to the bitter end and prolonged
the Italian defense of Ethiopia far
beyond military expectations.
Each precious week that the Stars
and Stripes fly defantly over Bataan
and Corregidor, the Macarthur leg
end will sink deeper into Filipino
minds and hearts, and their resist
ance to japanese domination will
crystalline and harden. This is the
most heartening development in a
Far Eastern situation otherwise SOM
bcr indeed.