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Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Straggler's flag shown to Japanese, local media
By Lizanilla J. Amarga
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- A Japanese flag stained with blood marked with a special seal and printed with Japanese characters believed to be names of soldiers sent over to Mindanao during World War II was unveiled by Marlyn Beldorol Nagaki to Japanese and local media Tuesday.
Nagaki presented this as the evidence she got when she met with a Japanese straggler whom she said was only referred to under a code name "Sakurai" at Cabanglasan, Bukidnon some three years ago.
"I don't know if Sakurai is still alive but he wanted to go back to Japan," she told Japanese reporters in Niponggo Tuesday and later translated her statement in Cebuano.
Several Japanese journalists voiced their surprise upon seeing the flag. One Japanese reporter even said the flag looked like it was really the "standard" ones used during the war and that it even bore a seal and was stained with what looked like blood.
TV-Asahi Corporation reporter Takayuki Yamano told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro there is a high possibility that the flag is real.
He pointed out to the Japanese characters explaining that those were names of some people who could be soldiers sent over to Mindanao some 60 years ago.
"I think there are 30 names here," he said adding that they would be checking out with their government on whether these are names of Japanese soldiers who enlisted for the war in 1945.
Among the names he wrote down were: Abe Masahide, Kobayashi Fujio, Kikuchi Taktezo, Miyata Kumataro, Kobayashi Hatsue, Miyata Tsuma and Takai Sakuzo.
Some of the journalists also remarked on the flag's appearance, as it was so tattered, marked with a rectangle-like seal and had what looked like bloodstains.
Yamano, along with Japanese journalists Akira Maki from Tokyo Broadcasting System, Hiromi Bonifacio, Yasunori Shindo, Eiko Nakamura, Chiuda Akira and Hosoya Atsushi, met with Nagaki and Mayor Vicente Emano at the radio dxIF office Tuesday.
Nagaki said it was a certain war veteran Admiral Yoshihiko Terashima who gave her name to the journalist. However, the foreign media practitioners had trouble finding Nagaki so it was agreed that all of them would be meeting at the radio station.
Some of the Japanese journalists have now reportedly headed for Esperanza, Bukidnon where Sakurai is believed to be living together with his family.
Emano believes there is a high probability that Sakurai might still be alive and living in the hinterlands.
"They eat mostly vegetables there and work their lands," he said.
Nagaki, originally a resident of Bohol, married a Japanese and learned to speak Nippongo. She said she met with some foresters in 2002.
She said they wanted her to negotiate with the Japanese Embassy for Sakurai's return to his homeland.
"Pero ang ilang gi-ingon kay naa daw sa mga kabukiran sa Esperanza, Bukidnon unya tulo ka adlaw kana nga baklayon (But they told me that Sakurai is somewhere in the mountains in Esperanza, Bukidnon and it would take three days of walking just to get there)," she said.
Because of this, Nagaki's contacts arranged a meeting with Sakurai in Cabanglasan, Bukidnon last December 2002 at around 2 a.m.
Nagaki said it was then that Sakurai presented the old Japanese flag to her as evidence that indeed he is a straggler who just wants to go home.
She described Sakurai as around 86 years old but that she was unable to help him out.
"Yano raman gud ko nga tao ug wala napud koy contact sa Japanese Embassy (I am only a simple person and I have already lost contact with the Japanese Embassy)," she said.
"I could not promise Sakurai anything...ako lang gyud silang gi-ingnan nga ako lang paningkamutan kung unsay akong mahimo (what I told Sakurai is that I would do the best that I could for him)," she said.
Nagaki said she also heard the name of Tzusuki Nakauchi, a straggler reportedly in General Santos, during their negotiations with Sakurai.
"But Nakauchi's name was only mentioned in passing," she said.
Nagaki explained she kept the flag fearing this might cause a stir that would affect her privacy and credibility. More so now that she is now working with a Japanese contractor who sells heavy equipment to local government units.
"Kay basin mapalaw lang ta ani maulawan pa 'ta (I kept it to myself because this flag that was just given to me might prove to be a fake and I would be embarrassed)," she said.
(June 1, 2005 issue)
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