Thursday, March 27, 2008 Loud blasts, sky jump make 'Talisay landing' best so far By Gary Cabotaje Sun.Star Staff Reporter
SPECTATORS felt how it was like to be in the midst of a long-running gun battle in yesterday’s reenactment of the historic American landing in Talisay City, which was described as the best so far.
A series of loud blasts, set up by a military bomb squad, shook the shore of Barangay Poblacion, the reenactment site, at past 9 a.m.
But the breathtaking stunts of an eight-man parachuting team from the Philippine Army that dropped 5,000 feet off a passing military helicopter, amazed the crowd.
Three of them, including Master Sgt. Carmelito Fernandez, the team leader, landed right on the reenactment area, while the five other skydivers dropped on a school ground nearby.
Viewers yelled when Staff Sgt. Joe Franco Quinoneva failed to hit the landing spot and nearly slammed into a seawall.
Bombarded
“I was only avoiding the crowd,” said Quinoneva.
The shoreline bombardments, known as naval gunfire support, signaled the start of the beachhead landing of American forces performed by Central Command (Centcom) soldiers.
The big blasts caused viewers to cover their ears and ran to safety.
A member of the assaulting marines, who boarded five inflatable life rafts, was the lone “casualty” in the reenactment. Cpl. Reno Cabanlit was grazed by shrapnel in the cheek.
Two low-flying military choppers and continuous gunfire (assimilated by firecrackers’ blasts) gave the viewers a glimpse of a fierce battle between the Americans and Japanese Imperial Army on March 26, 1945.
Three Navy gun ships also anchored about 1.5 nautical miles off Barangay Poblacion.
“It’s the best American landing reenactment so far. In a scale of 1 to 10, I rate at 9,” said Councilor Shirley Belleza, city council committee chairman on tourism, cultural and historical affairs.
Killed
Reports said the battle killed 410 American soldiers and wounded 1,700 others. The Japanese also lost 5,500 men while about 8,000 classified as non-battle casualties also died.
This year’s historic observance, which cost City Hall P400,000 for its over-all preparations, is dubbed as “Takas sa Talisay, Kagawasan sa Sugbuo.”
A grander observance is expected next year as the March 26 American landing has already been declared as “Liberation Day” of the entire Cebu province.
