• During Word War II On December 8, 1941, Japanese
invaded the Philippines.
• Clark Air Base in Pampanga was first attacked and also
Nichols Field outside Manila was attacked,
• Then on December 22, The Japanese forces landed at
the Lingayen Gulf and continued on to Manila.
• General Douglas MacArthur declared Manila an open city
on the advice of commonwealth President Manuel L.
Quezon to avoid its destruction.
• Manila was occupied by the Japanese on January 2,
1942.
• MacArthur retreated with his troops to Bataan while the
commonwealth government withdrew to Corregidor
island before proceeding to the United States.
• The joint American and Filipino soldiers in Bataan finally
surrendered on April 9, 1942.
• MacArthur escaped to Corregidor then proceeded to
Australia.
• The 76,000 captured soldiers were forced to embark on
the infamous "Death March" to a prison camp more than
100 kilometers north.
• An estimated 10,000 prisoners died due to thirst, hunger
and exhaustion.
• In the midst of fear and chaos, some farmers of
Pampanga banded together and created local brigades
for their protection.
• Luis Taruc, Juan Feleo, Castro Alejandrino, and other
leaders of organized farmers held a meeting in February
1942 in Cabiao, Nueva Ecija.
• In that meeting, they agreed to fight the Japanese as a
unified guerrilla army.
• Another meeting was held the following month, where in
representatives from Tarlac, Pampanga and Nueva Ecija
threshed out various details regarding their organization.
• Which they agreed to call "Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa
mga Hapon" or HUKBALAHAP.
• Taruc was chosen to be the Leader of the group, with
Alejandrino as his right hand man. The members were
simply known as Huks!
The Philippine Executive Commission
• In accordance the instructions of President Manuel
Quezon to Jorge Vargas, the Filipino officials in Manila
were told to enter into agreements and compromises with
the Japanese to mitigate the sufferings of the people
under the iron-clad rule of the Japanese.
• On January 23, 1942 the Philippine Executive
Commission was established, with Vargas as chairman.
Interior: Benigno Aquino, Sr.
Finance: Antonio de las Alas
Justice: Jose P. Laurel
Education, health, and public welfare: Claro M. Recto
Public works and communication: Quintin Paredes
Chief Justice of the Supreme court:
Jose Yulo
• The following month, an election was held for members of
The Preparatory Commission for Philippine Independence
(PCPI).
• The purpose of PCPI is to draw up a constitution for a free
Philippines.
• Jose Laurel became its head.
• Against the will of the PCPI delegates the new
Constitution was finalized on July 10, 1943.
• Two months later it was ratified by the KALIBAPI, which
was the only political party allowed to exist at that time.
KALIBAPI is the acronym for "Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod
sa Bagong Pilipinas".
• The new constitution, which noticeably lacked a bill of
rights contained 12 articles lifted from the 1935
constitution that fitted the wishes of the Japanese.
• It was meant to be in effect only temporarily, while the
Philippines still in chaos.
• After the war, a new constitution would again be drafted
for the new Philippine Republic.
The Second Republic
• On September 20 1943, the KALIBAPI- under the
leadership of its director general, Benigno Aquino Sr. held
a party convention to elect 54 members of the National
Assembly.
• The Assembly was actually made up of 108 members; but
half of this number was composed of incumbent
governors and city mayors.
• Jose P. Laurel was elected as president of the second
republic (the first republic was Aguinldo's Malolos
Republic)
• And both Benigno Aquino Sr. & Ramon Avancena as a
vice-presidents.
• The new republic was inaugurated on October 14 1943 on
the front steps of the legislative building in Manila.
• The Philippine flag was hoisted as the national anthem
was played.
• Meanwhile, the Japanese started using propaganda to
gain the trust and confidence of Filipinos who refused to
cooperate with them.
• They hung giant posters and distribute their materials that
contains such slogans as "the Philippines belong to the
Filipinos."
• They also used newspapers, movies, and others to
publicize the same idea.
• Promoting Japanese propaganda was one of the main
objectives of the KALIBAPI, but still Japanese failed to
gain the trust of the Filipinos.
General Douglas MacArthur returns
• From Australia, Allied forces slowly advanced toward the
Philippines, bombing several Japanese strongholds until
they regained control of areas previously occupied by the
enemy.
• The bombings began on September 21 1944, and barely
a month later, on October 20, 1944, the Americans landed
triumphantly in Leyte.
• Once a shore, General Douglas MacArthur said; "I have
Returned."
• Sergio Osmeña was Part of MacArthur’s group.
• He had taken over Manuel L. Quezon as president after
the latter past way at Saranac Lake, New York on August
1944.
• From October 23 to October 26, 1944 the Americans
engaged Japanese forces in the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
• Consider as the biggest naval battle in World History, this
historic encounter almost destroyed the entire Japanese
fleet and rendered in incapable of further attack.
• The US victory in the battle of Leyte Gulf is said to have
signaled the beginning of Philippine liberation from the
Japanese.
• By mid-December, the American soldiers had reached
Mindoro.
• The Japanese, meanwhile, secured other area where
their thought other American units would land.
• Nevertheless, US liberation forces successfully docked at
Lingayen Gulf on January 9, 1945.
• The news alarmed the Japanese. Lt. Gen. Tomoyuki
Yamashita, supreme commander of the Japanese troops
in Manila, mobilize his kamikazes (Japanese suicide
pilots);
• but they failed to stop Americans.
• The Japanese also deployed MAKAPILI units to defend
Manila but neither succeeds.
• On December 8, 1944, President Laurel and his cabinet
moved to Baguio upon orders of Yamashita, who is also
known as the tiger of Malaya.
• The Japanese forces retreated to Yamashita line a jungle
battlefront stretching along the Sierra Madre Mountains
from Antipolo, Rizal to Appari Cagayan.
• The Japanese in Manila would not give up easily.
• In fact, it took 3 weeks of intense fighting before they
finally surrendered on February 23.
• Gen. MacArthur continued to liberate other parts of the
country.
• And finally proclaim general freedom from the Japanese
on July 4, 1945.
• Continue to Philippine Independence from the Americans.