THE Leyte-Samar Heritage Society Inc. (LSHSI) concluded its one-day forum titled “Pagbukwat han Aton mga Kaagi: Unearthing Untold Stories of World War II Leyte” in Palo, Leyte.
The forum served as a platform to enrich and disseminate discussions on local history, address gaps in the dominant historical narrative of World War II and enable institutional and community leaders to set agendas and directions for community development through historical education in their respective locales and spheres of influence.
“To this day, World War II in Eastern Visayas is often told from the perspective of the United States. Although local writers have published local histories, these have been few and far between,” said the Tacloban City-based heritage advocacy group during the forum at the Leyte Convention Complex in Palo on October 18, 2024.
“Although there are also current moves to decolonize our history textbooks, the particularities of our history, its facts and figures, as well as dominant narratives, remain a discourse at the macro level. Take the October 20, 1944, Leyte Landing of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, for instance. This event is always mentioned in history textbooks, but little explanation is given as to why MacArthur landed, of all places, in Leyte,” it added.
The heritage advocacy group maintained that often the mention of the Leyte Landing is trivial, while there is almost no mention of the significant role Colonel Ruperto C. Kangleon and his guerillas played during World War II in history textbooks.
“Colonel Kangleon’s guerilla operations paved the way for the United States forces to land in the Philippines. There is also no mention of the October 25, 1944, Naval Battle of Samar, nor is there any mention of the October 23-26, 1944, Battle of Leyte Gulf,” it said.
“In effect, generations of formally educated Filipinos, especially those from Leyte and Samar, are unaware of our local history and heroes,” LSHSI added.
The panel discussions focused on topics such as Decolonizing World War II, The Battle of Leyte Gulf, The Leyte Guerillas, Descendants of Significant World War II Leyte Figures, and Civilian Experiences in World War II Leyte.
The forum included a talk with descendants of significant World War II Leyte figures who shared their own stories: Former Leyte Governor Mimietta Bagulaya on her mother Maxima Aviles – Satorre of the Women’s Auxiliary Corps; Lilibelle Fernandez-Arong on her grandmother Captain Nieves Fernandez of Leyte Guerillas; and Beth Abello-Mercado with her nephew Engineer Karol Abello on her father Boy Scout Hero Valeriano Abello.
Renowned speakers and presenters during the forum included Associate Professor Bernard Leo Karganilla, Corporate Secretary, Hunters-ROTC Historical Society Inc.; Professor Emeritus Ricardo Jose, Department of History, University of the Philippines (UP)-Diliman; Walter Borneman, American Historian and Lawyer (via Zoom); Jobert Narte, Instructor, Arts and Humanities Unit, Leyte Normal University (LNU), Tacloban; Emiliano Justimbaste Jr., Editor, The Weekly Vanguard; Lakan Uhay Alegre, Managing Editor, Philippine Journal of Public Policy, UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies; Dennis Bautista, LNU; and Mina Watanabe, Women’s Active Museum on War and Peace, Tokyo, Japan.
The moderators were George Emmanuel Borrinaga, PhD, Associate Professor, University of San Carlos (USC), Cebu City; Professor Joycie Dorado Alegre, President, LSHSI; and Carmelito Nomer Abolencia, PhD, Eastern Visayas State University (Evsu), Tacloban.
The group also thanked Leyte Governor Jericho Petilla and his wife, Leyte Provincial Tourism Consultant Frances Ann Petilla, National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) Chairperson Regalado Trota Jose Jr., LSHSI Chairperson Monsignor Ramon Stephen Aguilos, and other guests for gracing the event.
LSHSI and the Hunters-ROTC Historical Society, Inc. co-organized the event in partnership with the Province of Leyte and the Department of Tourism (DOT)-Eastern Visayas.
LSHSI lauded the support given by NHCP, Senator Loren Legarda, Senator Risa Hontiveros, Senator Pia Cayetano, DOT-Eastern Visayas Regional Director Karina Tiopes, UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies, Biliran Governor Gerard Roger Espina, Dan Stephen Palami, Toyota Tacloban Leyte Inc., with its President Jimmy Yao Ka Sin, Jr., and General Manager Ma. Tina Bambi Sydiongco, EVSU President Dr. Dennis de Paz, Jescyn Nierras of Leyte Provincial Tourism, and Florida Israel of Leyte Academic Center. (SunStar Philippines)
