Wednesday, January 17, 2007 Malilong: Honoring a war hero By Frank Malilong Jr. The Other Side
“TABUNAN” is a book by Manuel F. Segura, a retired colonel of the defunct Philippine Constabulary. Written in 1975, it gives a vivid account of the exploits of the guerillas in Cebu during the Second World War.
An entire chapter is devoted to the fierce battle of Guila-Guila, a sitio in Bagalnga, Compostela that resulted in the killing of 232 Japanese soldiers by guerillas led by then Maj. Fabian Sanchez.
Here are excerpts from the chapter, “Guila-Guila: Trapped” of Segura’s book:
“Very early in the morning of 5 March 1943, a message was received by Capt. Ruperto Mahinay, executive officer of Maj. Sanchez. It warned of a contingent of Japanese approaching Yati, Liloan, 17 kilometers north of Cebu City. Mahinay immediately apprised Major Sanchez of the message. The latter issued an order to Lt. Pedro Pusta at Liloan to set up an ambush with his platoon.”
Pusta’s platoon engaged the enemy in Looc, Liloan but withdrew because they were outnumbered. The Japanese pursued them from Looc to Cotcot, then to Estaca, farther in the north. At his command post, Sanchez surmised that the Japanese were on their way to the guerilla stronghold in Tabunan so he ordered his men to take position at Sitio Guila-Guila.
“A trench with barbed wire in front of it was dug astride the road. This trench connected two hills on each of which was emplaced a machine gun. A third machine gun was set up on the low rise where the Bagalnga Primary School now stands.”
The Japanese soldiers, who were pursuing the guerillas under Lt. Pusta from Estaca, paused for lunch near a bridge after the three and a half kilometer chase before resuming their search. As they were crossing the bridge and were near enough that they “could not be missed by the poorest marksman,” Lt. Agapito Admana, platoon leader of the guerillas, who were lying in ambush, ordered his men to fire.
“A murderous hail of bullets crashed into the totally unsuspecting ranks of the enemy from all the weapons the guerilleros could muster. The three machine guns poured burst after burst from their vantage positions as gunners swung the muzzles of their chattering weapons back and forth aiming at the massed body of enemy troops.”
At about 5 p.m. Admana reported to Sanchez that truckloads of Japanese reinforcements had arrived and that the guerillas were running low on ammunition. He also reported that he counted at least 230 dead Japanese soldiers.
Maj. Alfredo Vargas, an officer from the guerillas’ general headquarters, then told Sanchez to order his men to withdraw but Sanchez demurred. “I am ashamed to order withdrawal,” he said. “This is a guerilla war – you hit and run,” Vargas told him.
“Finally, Sanchez turned heavily to his executive officer. ‘Mahinay, send a note of withdrawal.’”
Sanchez survived the war and became the first post-war chief of police of Cebu City. Today, the people of Compostela will honor him in formal ceremonies that will be capped by the naming of a street after him and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque.
