Pride and Massacre

The first military forces of the earliest civilizations (Hittites, Assyrians, Sumerians, Babylonians) were land armies used to capture and defend fertile farmlands so their people could eat. Later, the Greeks and Phoenicians, who had access to the Mediterranean Sea, used warships to acquire and protect fertile farmlands from invaders. The army was closer to the ruler than the navy because sea battles were few. The rivalry between the army and the navy is accepted worldwide. The November football game between West Point (Army) and Annapolis (Navy) highlights this traditional rivalry.

In the UK, the navy’s popularity equaled that of the American army after it defeated the Spanish Armada and conquered lands in Africa, the U.S.A., the Middle East, and Asia. The navy protected the sea lanes used to bring all the riches from the colonies to the UK. The most notorious military rivalry is that of the Japanese army and navy.

Japan invaded us on December 7, 1941. General MacArthur wanted to save civilian lives and properties, so he declared Manila an open city. International law is clear that if a place is declared an open city by its defenders, they will not fight there and instead allow the invaders to capture it. General Homma entered Manila without a fight—no civilians were killed, and no properties were destroyed.

On October 20, 1944, General MacArthur landed in Leyte. In January 1945, U.S. forces landed in Lingayen, Pangasinan (north), and in Batangas (south). The two armies raced toward Manila. Army General Yamashita did not want to fight in Manila because many civilians would die, and the city would be destroyed in house-to-house battles. He decided to retreat to the Cordillera mountains in the middle of Luzon Island and wait for reinforcements from Japan. He told the commander of the Japanese navy in the Philippines to join the army in the mountains. There was a long, heated discussion—run and be disgraced, or fight and die with honor. The final straw was when the navy’s highest-ranking officer, Rear Admiral Sanji Iwabuchi, shouted, “I take my orders from the navy, not the army!” Cooler heads stopped the army and navy officers from decapitating each other with samurais. The army left Manila and went to the mountains. The 16,000-plus sailors and marines made Manila a fortress.

The battle began on February 3, 1945, with the Japanese navy’s defensive line stretching from Ermita, Malate, and South Harbor. All the grand and beautiful structures, including the Legislative Building, Manila Post Office, Ateneo, La Salle, UP, Intramuros, Ayuntamiento, San Miguel Cathedral, St. Ignacio de Loyola Church, seminaries, convents, and South Harbor, were destroyed. Civilians caught in the crossfire sought refuge in churches, chapels, and convents, believing the Japanese would not harm them. However, in a killing frenzy, the Japanese massacred all civilians they encountered, including the wife and children of future President Elpidio Quirino—except for his daughter, Vickie.

Before the war, Malate was home to Manila’s elite—the rich and the powerful. After the devastation, these families relocated to Makati’s San Lorenzo, Dasmariñas, Forbes, and other areas. The Philippine General Hospital, the nation’s largest, most modern, and most beautiful medical institution, was completely destroyed. Most of the patients and civilians who had sought refuge there were killed.

Fr. Rodolfo Malasmas, S.J., along with other Jesuits and seminarians from their Padre Faura/Intramuros complex, described the pain of burying the dead—civilians, elderly, babies, children, women, adults, and religious figures—in mass graves. He reflected that it was there he realized the limitations of human life and the folly of pride and greed.

The press, which covered the war in both Europe and Asia, reported that the most devastated cities in World War II were Warsaw, Poland, and Manila, Philippines. The February 1945 Battle of Manila stands as a testament to man’s stupidity and arrogance. It occurred due to the rivalry between the Japanese army and navy. More than 20,000 civilians perished in the battle.