Japanese

Occupation until
the Liberation
DARELL C. BUENO, LPT, MAED-SS
Objectives:
DEMONSTRATE THE ABILITY TO USE
PRIMARY SOURCES TO ARGUE IN FAVOR
OR AGAINST A PARTICULAR ISSUE.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE

DIFFERENT FEATURES OF PHILIPPINE
CULTURE IN ORDER TO APPRECIATE AND
EMBRACE OUR NATIONAL IDENTITY,
FROM THE FOLLOWING HISTORICAL
ERAS.
Overview
The Japanese occupation of the Philippines
occurred 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. As at Pearl Harbor, American
aircraft were severely damaged in the initial
Japanese attack. Lacking air cover, the
American Asiatic Fleet in the Philippines
withdrew to Java on 12 December 1941.
Overview
General Douglas MacArthur was ordered out,
leaving his men at Corregidor on the night of
11 March 1942 for Australia, 4,000 km away.
The 76,000 starving and sick American and
Filipino defenders in Bataan surrendered on 9
April 1942, and were forced to endure the
infamous Bataan Death March on which
7,000–10,000 died or were murdered.
The 13,000 survivors on Corregidor
surrendered on 6 May.
Overview
Japan occupied the Philippines for over
three years, until the surrender of
Japan.
A highly effective guerilla campaign by
Philippine resistance forces controlled
sixty percent of the islands, mostly
jungle and mountain areas.
MacArthur supplied them by
submarine, and sent reinforcements
and officers.
World War 2 in the Philippines:
A Timeline
Dec. 7, 1941: Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii

Dec. 8, 1941: Japanese bomb the Philippines,

destroying many aircraft at Clark Field

Dec. 22, 1941: About 43,000 Japanese troops

begin the main invasion of Luzon; American
and Filipino troops begin to amass on Bataan
World War 2 in the Philippines:
A Timeline
Dec. 24, 1941: Manila declared “open city”

End of December 1941: Ground war in

progress on Bataan

Feb. 8, 1942: Japan decides to regroup after

its forces are repelled

March 1942: Having received reinforcements,

Japanese strengthen attacks
World War 2 in the Philippines:
A Timeline
March 12, 1942: Gen. Douglas MacArthur
evacuated to Australia from Corregidor

April 9, 1942: Gen. Edward King surrenders

Bataan; Death March begins

March 1, 1942: Final Japanese assault on

Corregidor begins

May 6, 1942: Gen. Jonathan Wainwright asks

to surrender Corregidor
World War 2 in the Philippines:
A Timeline
October 1944: MacArthur returns, coming
ashore at Leyte in the southern Philippines

Feb. 3, 1945: Battle of Manila begins

March 4, 1945: Manila officially liberated, but

the city is devastated by bombing and the
Manila Massacre, in which about 100,000
people were killed.
World War 2 in the Philippines:
A Timeline
Aug. 6, 1945: U.S. drops atomic bomb on
Hiroshima, Japan

Aug. 9, 1945: U.S. drops atomic bomb on

Nagasaki, Japan

Aug. 15, 1945: Japanese Emperor Hirohito

announces Japan’s surrender

Sept. 2, 1945: Official liberation of the

Philippines from the Japanese
World War 2 in the Philippines:
A Timeline
December 1945: Japanese Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita
sentenced to death for the Manila Massacre and other
war crimes.

Feb. 23, 1946: Yamashita hanged in the Philippines

April 3, 1946: Japanese Gen. Masaharu Homma, who

directed the battle for Bataan, is executed for his role in
the death march and atrocities committed in prison
camps. American and Filipino forces make up the firing
squad.

July 4, 1946: Philippines celebrate their official

independence
The Huk
In the midst of fear and chaos, some farmers of Pampanga
banded together and created local brigades for their
protection.
Luis Taruc, Juan Feleo, Castro Alejandrino, and other leaders
of organized farmers held a meeting in February 1942 in
Cabiao, Nueva Ecija.
In that meeting, they agreed to fight the Japanese as a
unified guerrilla army.
Another meeting was held the following month, where in
representatives from Tarlac, Pampanga and Nueva Ecija
threshed out various details regarding their organization,
which they agreed to call "Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa mga
Hapon" or HUKBALAHAP.
Taruc was chosen to be the Leader of the group, with
Alejandrino as his right hand man.
The members were simply known as Huks!
The Philippine Executive
Commission
In accordance the instructions of President Manuel Quezon
to Jorge Vargas, the Filipino officials in Manila were told to
enter into agreements and compromises with the Japanese
to mitigate the sufferings of the people under the iron-clad
rule of the Japanese.
On January 23, 1942 the Philippine Executive Commission
was established, with Vargas as chairman. The following were
appointed as department heads:
Benigno Aquino, Sr., interior;
Antonio de las Alas, finance;
Jose P. Laurel, justice;
Claro M. Recto, education, health, and public welfare; and
Quintin Paredes, public works and communication;
Jose Yulo was named Chief Justice of the Supreme court.
The Philippine Executive
Commission
The following month, an election was held for members of The
Preparatory Commission for Philippine Independence (PCPI). The
purpose of PCPI is to draw up a constitution for a free Philippines.
Jose Laurel became its head.
Against the will of the PCPI delegates the new Constitution was
finalized on July 10, 1943.
Two months later it was ratified by the KALIBAPI, which was the
only political party allowed to exist at that time. KALIBAPI is the
acronym for "Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas".
The new constitution, which noticeably lacked a bill of rights
contained 12 articles lifted from the 1935 constitution that fitted the
wishes of the Japanese.
It was meant to be in effect only temporarily, while the Philippines
still in chaos.
After the war, a new constitution would again be drafted for the
new Philippine Republic.
The Second Republic
On September 20 1943, the KALIBAPI- under the
leadership of its director general, Benigno Aquino Sr.
held a party convention to elect 54 members of the
National Assembly.
The Assembly was actually made up of 108 members;
but half of this number was composed of incumbent
governors and city mayors.
Jose P. Laurel was elected as president of the second
republic (the first republic was Aguinldo's Malolos
Republic) and both Benigno Aquino Sr. & Ramon
Avancena as a vice-presidents.
The new republic was inaugurated on October 14 1943
on the front steps of the legislative building in Manila.
The Second Republic
The Philippine flag was hoisted as the national
anthem was played.
Meanwhile, the Japanese started using propaganda
to gain the trust and confidence of Filipinos who
refused to cooperate with them.
They hung giant posters and distribute their
materials that contains such slogans as "the
Philippines belong to the Filipinos." they also used
newspapers, movies, and others to publicize the
same idea.
Promoting Japanese propaganda was one of the
main objectives of the KALIBAPI, but still Japanese
failed to gain the trust of the Filipinos.
 The Philippines had suffered great
loss of life and tremendous physical
destruction by the time the war was
over. An estimated 527,000
Filipinos, both military and civilians,
had been killed from all causes; of
these between 131,000 and
164,000 were killed in seventy-two
war crime events.
References:
https://artsandculture.google.com/entit
y/m04y5fzp
https://www.latimes.com/travel/la-xpm-
2012-dec-02-la-tr-philippines-timeline-
20121202-story.html
https://www.philippine-
history.org/japanese-occupation.htm
https://www.pacificatrocities.org/timeli
ne-of-philippines-in-ww2.html