Mary Beatriz Tan Harina

BSHRM-1A
April 29, 2016

The Japanese colonizers invaded the country, Philippines, which occurred

between 1942 and 1945. The invasion of the Japanese started on December 8, 1942
hours after the attack of the Pearl Harbor located on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Due to
this initial attack of Japanese, an American aircraft was severely damaged and the
America lacked cover for air. As a result the fleet of America withdrew to Java. General
Douglas McArthur left for Australia and left his people Corregidor. Filipino and American
men who were defending Bataan surrendered due to illness and starvation, because of
this they were forced to do the Bataan Death Marche which made them walk from
Pampanga to Tarlac. The Bataan Death March lead to the death of 7,000-10,000 men
due to starvation, diseases and brutality of the Japanese.
During the Japanese Occupation, the Filipinos were oppressed. The Japanese
military authorities organized a new government structure in the country. They declared
the Philippines as an independent republic. Due to this, the Filipinos were treated like
animals. They were forced to do things out of unjust cruelty. Women were being raped,
children were killed and men were forced to be slaves. They were murdered brutally
and the suffered a lot in the hands of the Japanese. Because of the cruelty of the
Japanese, the Filipinos of those times had to do something to fight for their right and to
fight for what they think is right. They created and organized a large-scale underground
guerilla activity which opposed the Japanese occupation. A major element of the
resistance against Japanese in Central Luzon was the Hukbalahap otherwise known as
the Hubo ng Bayan Laban sa mga Hapon. The Hukbalahap armed 30,000 people and
extended their control over Luzon. The Japanese occupation ended when the allied
forces slowly advanced to Philippines and bombed several Japanese strongholds until
they gained back many areas and eventually the freedom of the country.
The Filipinos under the hands and hold of the Japanese brought many
disadvantages and deaths to our motherland. It was quite devastating and mortifying.
Despite to what had happened, the Filipinos in the time of the Japanese colonization
taught us a very valuable lesson which we can apply throughout our livesit is to fight
for what we think is right and fight for our rights as a Filipino. They also taught us how to
stand up on our feet despite how deep the trench we fell in and how devastating the
situation is. They taught us that no matter how hopeless the situation is, there is a little
hope when you work hard and you know what you believe in is right.