Evening star., 1945-02-04
The Hlipinos Kept the Faith
Policy Friendly Development Dividends Polling
By Brig Gen.C Cmlo p. .RomM,
By Brig. Gen. Carlos p. RonnIo,
esdent Commissioner of the Philippines to the United States

1tOAu tAAAo SCACA hCOA dAA Vic AAofOC pAAo
faith Of the Filipino people poured into
set of storage batteries which soon
thereafter were to power makeshift
short-wave radio set whose weak and
wavering signals were bealned to Amer
lea in an effort to arrange rendezvous.
For three hours the patriots pumped
without pause, except to change pedal
ers, after which the broadcast started.
In Is minutes the batteries were ex-
hausted, but a War Department moni-
tor picked up the signals before that
brief period had ended. -
That first weak signal came from the
patriots on Panay Island, a particularly
appropriate island for its name was
borne by the first American ship sunk
by the Japs, the river gunboat Panay,
which was attacked by planes during
Nipponese action against the Chinese
along the Yangtse River long before
Pearl Harbor.
Submarine Was Sent.
The message was relayed to Gen.
Douglas Macarthur in Australia, and q
submarine was Immediately sent to the
Philippines to get in touch with the
Filipino patriots.
This simple beginning was the fore
runner of vast communication system
which was destined to bring Gen. Mac
Arthur reports every "A hours on the
situation within the island and to re-
duce to almost unbelievably low figures
the casualties suffered in establishing
a foothold in the islands and expanding
that foothold into a firm base which
now dominates the entire archipelago.
To understand the situation in the
Philippines, it is necessary to 60 back
to that fatal spring of 1912 when the
Japs overran the islands.
The Filipinos were completely cut on
from the rest of the world. They had
no news save what came from Japanese
sources. They had no radios of SUM-
cient power to pick up foreign broad
casts. The only information they were
able to obtain by air was the exceed
ingly doubtful information broadcast
by the Japanese Manila radio
They knew that the Americans had
been driven from the islands and they
were constantly informed by the Japs
of additional defeats which Tokyo
claimed to have administered to Ameri-
can tcrces Nothing but discouragement
was offered SO far as any aid from the
United States was concerned, and the
future was dark indeed.
Stunned japanese Qvertures.
But the Filipinos, unlike the peoples
OF the other Pacific islands seized by
the invaders, were not to be influenced
by the false friendship and ineratiAtion
Of the invaders. Back of them was the
record of years Of American co-opera-
ton which had built up the islands
economy, expanded its educational sys-
TEN and inaugurated the program for
final independence. Back OF them were
many years of unexpected friendship
and understanding.
Back Of them. also, was Gen. Mac
Arthur's promise, II will return"
So the Fflipinos were determined to
resist. With. few exceptions, there was
no collaboration, and even among q few
who apparently played the japanese
game were some who secretly were as
sociated with the patriots and thus
proved invaluable in increasing the
effectiveness of the communications
system by means of which Gen. Mac
Arthur was kept informed of the exact
military situation throughout the
islands.
For instance, the wife Of a mining
engineer, Yay Panlilio, who had been
educated at Denver University, became
news commentator on the Manila
radio under Japanese supervision For
time Yay was thought to have sold
out to the Japs, but suddenly it was
realized that her broadcasts were con-
veying vital military information to
the American forces. Each day her
comment was recorded and studied and
the results were exceedingly useful.
Unfortunately the Japs also became
aware that all was not as it appeared
on the surface and Yay was arrested
and placed in q prison noted for its
torture chamber. With the aid of un-
disclosed patriots, she escaped and
Joined the guerrilla movement.
Resistance Spread Rapidly.
Resistance to the Japs spread rapidly
after the first contact with the outside
world through the, submarine Gen. Mac
Arthur sent in response to that 1912
appeal from Panay. A few carefully
selected Filipino and American officers
landed from the submarine and travelled
throughout the islands investigating,
advising and organizing.
The resistance movement took two
forms, the civilian underground and
the guerrillas. The former spied and
hampered in the cities. The latter
struck and killed from the hills.
Completely without arms at the out
set, the guerrillas manufactured crude
guns from pipe and knives from the
metal stats of Venetian blinds. With
these weapons they attacked small
isolated bands of Japanese troops and
after staying the enemy gathered up
their arms and ammunition to turn
them back against the Japs In bolder
and more important attacks.
The guerrillas Of necessity operated
from the hills and In small outlying
villages, but as their activities grew and
their material increased they gradually
pressed the invaders back to the cities.
And all the while the fear mounted In
the hearts Of the enemy. With each
successful foray that fear was &C.
centuated until now on Cebu, for In
stance the Jams seldom move far awav