On December 3, 1574, Limahong and his bandits departed from Manila to Pangasinan, where they founded a kingdom near the mouth of the Agno River.

Limahong, a notorious Chinese pirate and warlord, invaded the northern Philippine Islands in 1574. He declared to the people that he had conquered the Spaniards and intended to rule over them as their king.

Approximately four miles from the sea, near the mouth of the Agno River, Limahong constructed a fort with an outer palisade of palm logs and an inner enclosure of palm planks, housing his palace. He also erected pagodas and dwelling places in preparation for a permanent settlement.

Choosing to establish himself there, Limahong aimed to become the master of the region, amassing wealth and remaining beyond the reach of both the Spaniards and the Chinese emperor. The neighboring villages were filled with terror as they all, without exception, acknowledged Limahong as their king, obeying him and paying him tributes.

In response to Limahong’s presence, the Spanish colonizers couldn’t tolerate it. On March 23, 1575, they dispatched an expedition to Lingayen, driving out the bandit who escaped into the China Sea towards his former lair.

Reference: Philippine News Agency archives

(JR AMIGO/AI/MNM)

On October 20, 1944, General Douglas MacArthur as the head of the largest US fleet of transport and warships, accompanied by Commonwealth President Sergio Osmeña and Gen. Carlos P. Romulo, landed on Palo, Leyte to reclaim the Philippines from the Japanese invaders.

Gen. MacArthur made true his famous vow “I shall return” promise following his escape from Corregidor on March 11, 1942, to Australia together with his wife and four-year-old son, and others on orders of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to avoid being overrun by Japanese Forces.

“I shall return” is the last phrase of his statement before reporters:

“The President of the United States ordered me to break through the Japanese lines and proceed from Corregidor to Australia for the purpose, as I understand it, of organizing the American offensive against Japan, a primary objective of which is the relief of the Philippines. I came through and I shall return.”

With his feet finally back on Philippine soil, and his pledge at last being fulfilled, MacArthur spoke with great emotion just moments after he waded ashore:

“I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God our forces stand again on Philippine soil — soil consecrated in the blood of our two peoples. We have come, dedicated and committed, to the task of destroying every vestige of enemy control over your daily lives, and of restoring, upon a foundation of indestructible, strength, the liberties of your people.”

“At my side is your President, Sergio Osmeña, worthy successor of that great patriot, Manuel Quezon, with members of his cabinet. The seat of your government is now therefore firmly re-established on Philippine soil.”

“The hour of your redemption is here. Your patriots have demonstrated an unswerving and resolute devotion to the principles of freedom that challenge the best that is written on the pages of human history. I now call upon your supreme effort that the enemy may know from the temper of an aroused and outraged people within that he has a force there to contend with no less violent than is the force committed from without.”

“Rally to me. Let the indomitable spirit of Bataan and Corregidor lead on. As the lines of battle roll forward to bring you within the zone of operations, rise and strike. Strike at every favorable opportunity. For your homes and hearths, strike! For future generations of your sons and daughters, strike! In the name of your sacred dead, strike! Let no heart be faint. Let every arm be steeled. The guidance of divine God points the way. Follow in His Name to the Holy Grail of righteous victory!”

Other landings were made in Mindoro, Batangas, and Lingayen in subsequent months.

On February 3, 1945, the bloody Battle of Manila began.

Before this battle, Manila was considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Overlooking a tranquil bay, the so-called “Pearl of the Orient” was home to a unique culture drawn from four continents. No stranger to conflict, the city had been seized by the Spanish in the 16th century, attacked by the Chinese in the 17th, occupied by the British in the 18th, and taken by the Americans at the end of the 19th. But even this tumultuous history could not have prepared the Filipinos for what happened in February to early March of 1945 when Manila was utterly destroyed.

Amphibious landings and air attacks were made in various parts of the Philippines that were still in Japanese hands. MacArthur, who had taken over the government as Military Administrator, turned over the reins of the civil government to President Sergio Osmeña.

On July 4, 1945, he proclaimed the liberation of the entire Philippines from Japanese invasion.

Accordingly, MacArthur proposed that war be brought right at Japan’s door — bombing occurred day and night in mainland Japan, important Japanese ports and cities like Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Kure as well as the deadly atomic bomb unleashed in Hiroshima, killing thousands of inhabitants.

On September 2, 1945, Japan unconditionally signed the terms of surrender on board the battleship Missouri at Tokyo Bay. Hence, MacArthur, one of the best-known American military leaders of World War II led occupation forces in the reconstruction of Japan.

Sources:

MacArthur’s Speeches, People and Events, American Experience, pbs.org

Philippine News Agency archives

(Filed by JR AMIGO/ai/mnm)

On October 19, 1886, Jorge Bocobo, who translated Dr. Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo into English, was born in Gerona, Tarlac.

Bocobo, who got an almost perfect score in the Civil Law examination in the country, also translated the Code of Kalantiaw, Lupang Hinirang, and Andres Bonifacio’s Decalogue.

He was one of the 100 Filipino students, the so-called “pensionados,” who were sent to the United States to study for four years in American School on October 10, 1903.

He helped President Manuel L. Quezon in drafting speeches and statements in connection with the campaign for Philippine independence as a member of four independence commissions to the United States in 1919, 1922, 1923, and 1924.

Bocobo also translated into English Rizal’s preface to Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt’s book, Filipinas. His legal publications included outlines of the laws on property, obligations, and court decisions from 1924 to 1944.

Notably, Bocobo, who became the fifth president of the University of the Philippines from 1934 to 1939, was influential in the development of education in the Philippines.

In his years of teaching and as acting dean of the U.P. College of Law from 1914 to 1917, he greatly contributed to making U.P. the most outstanding law school in the country and one with the best legal library.

He held several other positions, including justice of the Supreme Court from 1942 to 1944 and chairman of the Code Commission.

He was the principal author of the Civil Code of the Philippines, for which he was given a Presidential Award of Merit by President Elpidio Quirino in 1949.

Bocobo was imprisoned but later cleared of the charges of treason by the Americans on May 17, 1954, because he held office with the government installed by the Japanese during their occupation of the country.

He died on July 23, 1965.

Source: Philippine News Agency archives

Photo credit: WikiPilipinas (Filed by JR AMIGO/ai/mnm)