01/04/2024
Our 3rd port in the Philippines was Manila. The city's original name was Intramuros which means "inside the walls".
Our tour guide Marcos, was a wealth of historical knowledge.
Since the 16th century, Spain was the colonial power, except for the a brief period from 1762-1764 when Great Britain was in control.
During the Spanish-American War, in 1898, the Spanish controlled Bay of Manila fell in in 4 hours to the US navy, in what is considered one of the most decisive naval battles in history. America then gained control of the Philippines due to the Treaty of Paris and it became a territory.
In 1922, General Douglas MacArthur assumed command of the Manila District with the intent to bring law and order but also usher the territory into a modern age, with roads, buildings, etc. He was arrogant but he did keep peace. MacArthur was in and out of the country over the next 13 years, while serving in various military assignments.
During this time, he developed a friendship with Manuel Quezon, who would later serve as the Philippines president from 1935-1944. In 1935, Quezon asked his friend, MacArthur, to come back and help establish a Philippine army and from 1935 to 1937, MacArthur was named the field marshal, which drew the ire of then General Eisenhower as MacArthur became very powerful in the Philippines. MacArthur retired from the military in 1937 and there was no one to lead the Philippine Army. Many in the the territory, felt abandoned by the US.
In July, 1941, with the advancement of Japan in Southeast Asia, MacArthur was recalled to active duty in the Philippines. It was too little too late, as the territory was attacked 9 hours after Pearl Harbor and fell to the Japanese in late December. The American commander in Manila was Lt. Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright, upon signing the surrender orders, he was forced to kneel to the Japanese commander and then shoot his own horse. In retribution, he was allowed to be on the USS Missouri when Japan surrendered. Even though MacArthur's forces had to retreat in the Philippines, he had one of the most powerful PR machines of any Allied general during the war, which made him an extremely popular war hero with the American and Filipino people. On 18 April 1942, MacArthur was appointed Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area. With the US focus in other areas of the Pacific, the Philippines fell under Japanese occupation from 1942 - 1944, with the Filipinos using guerilla warfare to fight their own battle. During the war the Philippines was the site of many prisoner of war camps. During the Bataan Death March, Filipino children snuck along the side the road and gave the soldiers food. The Japanese occupation was particularly brutal, with the Filipino women, as they became "women of comfort" and babies were killed in front of their mothers in a gruesome game using bayonets. In July 1944, President Roosevelt summoned MacArthur to meet with him in Hawaii "to determine the phase of action against Japan". MacArthur stressed America's moral obligation to liberate the Philippines and won Roosevelt's support. MacArthur made a triumphant return walking through the water to Red Beach, on October 20,1944, where his first words were "I have returned", thus starting the land campaign. Upon landing, MacArthur organized the army which consisted of 70% Filipino soldiers. When the prisoner of war camps were liberated in 1945, the first items the soldiers asked for was a toothbrush and dry socks.
On July 4, 1946, the Philippines was granted full independence.
