Unknown to many is the untold story that the famous return of American General Douglas Mac Arthur was more than a fulfillment of his promise to return to the Philippines. That historic trip was paid by the government of Philippines under President Manuel Luis Quezon. This information was researched by Atty. Vince M. Tañada, Filipino lawyer, actor, director, writer, and entrepreneur.
He is the president and founding artistic director of Philippine Stagers Foundation and owns the Philstagers Films. He is an alumnus of San Beda College where he finished his college and earned his law degree. He belongs to the Tañada clan of Philippine politics that produced former Senator Lorenzo Tañada, former Senator Wigberto “Bobby” Tañada, former Congressman Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada III, among others.
In the original historical fiction, he developed the plot of the story around the main characters of brothers Nestor and Felipe Dimaculangan which featured the events during the Japanese occupation in the Philippines. The story depicted the main characters who were separated by the unfortunate events, their love interests, and part in serving the country during the years of 1941 to 1945. The story covered the purported liberation of the country between 1942 and 1945, when Imperial Japan occupied the Commonwealth of the Philippines during World War II. The invasion of the Philippines started on 8 December 1941, ten hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
It is apt to mention that during the Japanese occupation, Filipinos from various parts of the region mustered the courage to fight the cruel imperial army that rounded villages and killed innocent civilians, including women and children. Those who survived would tell gruesome stories of Filipinos being helplessly and mercilessly killed by the bayonet. In many areas, Filipino women were holed in Japanese camps and were raped to satisfy the lust and provide comfort to the soldiers. The tale of Filipino comfort women had been documented and are written in the annals of our country’s history.
In 1993, Japanese Cabinet Secretary Yohei Kono publicly apologized for Japanese army’s behavior during World War II and reiterated the 2015 Deal to Compensate Comfort Women. It recognized the Japanese army’s coercive actions and its direct and indirect involvement in exploiting comfort women, reiterating its apologies for the suffering inflicted on Filipino “comfort women” during World War II. More than 1,000 women were abducted and coerced into sexual slavery by military personnel during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines from 1942 to 1945. Today, only 18 survivors remain alive.
During the Japanese occupation of the islands in World War II, there was an extensive Philippine resistance movement which opposed the Japanese and their collaborators with active underground and guerrilla activity that increased over the years.
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