'As the war dragged on, they witnessed more horrors of the war. To a child, these could have left a traumatic scar and been in a situation they never should have experienced.'
As Leyteños and Samarnons commemorate the Leyte Gulf Landing on October 20 of each year, now on its 79th anniversary, stories of heroism and sacrifice slowly fade away as the number of war veterans who witnessed such heroism gradually decreases.
The story of 96-year-old Fortunata Balleras-Perez, Tolosa’s surviving veteran and real-life iron woman from La Paz town, has stories to tell.
In 1946, Fortunata, then 13, studied in their quaint Barangay Bagacay in La Paz, a neighboring Leyte town. Her family were leading a simple life when the war broke out and warring forces reached the island of Leyte.
“Na iskwela ak hadto. Nyan ano naag surat an taga munosipyo ngadto han am maistra nga ig close na it iyo iskwelahan kay maabot na it aton ka kuntra, mga hapon. Nag close kami hito,” Fortunata recalled.
Schools closed
But upon the arrival of the Japanese, their school, whose name she could now not recall, was ordered closed after guerrillas resorted to threats.
“Pag ulpot liwat an hapon kay nag mandar iwat nga ig open an mga iskwelahan. Di nan iskwela na lwat kami hito. Agidaw waray ngani mag bulan, kadaon liwat kami han taga bukid (guerillas). Nasiring ‘ma’am pag sara kamo hit iyo iskwelahan. Kun di kamo mag sira, rapiduhon kamo.”
In fear, pupils and young students dispersed and chaos ensued.
Little did they know that, one day, their ordinary stories would change the course of history.
Helping the guerrillas
Fortunata's grandfather, Mateo, who happened to be the Kapitan del Barrio at that time, gathered about 20 children and teenagers. A certain Captain Jesus Olmedo, who she remembered was addressed as “Papa Jesus”, tasked the young ones to gather food and medical supplies for the guerrillas.
“Nag tirok an ak apoy didto han am barangay han papreho ha am nga mga teenager. An amon assignment an pangolekta han pagkaon han mga gerilya ha bukid. Adlaw-adlaw adto nga am lakat ngado ha iba-iba nga mga baryo ppamiling han pagkaon,” she recalled.
Fortunata relayed that people in the “baryos” were ready to lend what little they have for their fellow Filipinos who were fighting the Japanese invaders.
“Nakasabot nga nagkokolekta kami para han mga adto ha bukid, Nanhahatag liwat hira. Mga bugas, mga humay, bugas nga mais, manok, bunay nahatag hira dayon. Kun may na aagian kami nga nag iihaw, gin mamalunan kami.”
Dangerous as it were, the young troopers were forced to adapt in order to survive.
“Baga kami hin mga taguto ngadto han kabagwakan panusok kay hikitan ngani kami han mga hapon, rarapiduhon kami. Kamang kami hadto, bis ano an ssumangot ha m ado, hala. Gisi it gisi.”
Firearms from a submarine
Named as the 1st guerrilla brigade of the 95th infantry division of La Paz town, the young ones were trained to handle arms and guns to defend themselves.
Fortunata proudly shared that she was good in handling the weapon assigned to her, a caliber 45 pistol. The kids complained of how heavy the long firearms were.
She revealed that the firearms were among the supplies they hauled from the USS Nautilus Submarine docked in a certain cave in Abuyog.
“Nayakan hi Papa Jesus, ngalong tara ngadto kita ha Abuyogay, Mabulig kita pag hawas han mga puil nga ig rarasyon ngadi hit mga guerilla. Hala bunyog kami nga baynte nga kapuyahan ngadto.”
Horrors of war
As the war dragged on, they witnessed more horrors of the war. To a child, these could have left a traumatic scar and been in a situation they never should have experienced. One incident, Fortunata would never forget, was witnessing being near a man who was about to die from gunshot woulds.
“Usa ka beses nangaon kami hadto, mga alas sais pasado ha ligid han binarian (a small body of water with strong current). Upat kami ka pamilya didto. Basta kay umigo an usa nga dako nga bala dida nam pinangaunan. Nag aprak an am pinangaunan. Maupay nala didto bumuto na ha binarian kay kun ha amon bumuto, patay kami tanan.”
She further shared that they had to flee to the beaches of Dulag to escape a barrage of gunfire.
Eyewitness
The young guerrilla brigade witnessed the extent and gravity of destruction and the number of lives lost from Filipino and American and Japanese troops.
“Nakadto kami ha Dulag, tima na pag rapiduha. Waray na balay nga natindog, usa la nga poste nga nag lalalaga. Ngadto kami han beach may tulo nga bagat mukid bukid. Nagsiring kami kan papa Jesus nga didto kami mag balay han bawaw han mukid-bukid.”
They set camp for the evening. But usually, Fortunata said, they would wake up to the sound of crying and mourning that would go on through the night.
“Nabati kami hin nangaraba. Magkaduro dilain nga boses. Nanlusad kami. Mga minatay ngay an adto nga gin tabunan.”
They were forced to keep on transferring where they will stay for the night after learning that the mounds they saw along the way were mass graves of Japanese and Filipinos.
A new chapter
For Fortunata, life during wartime was difficult and laborious.
When the allied American forces arrived, they were relieved. Not long after, peace was restored in their community.
“Nakapangaon na kami hin tuhay kay damo man an hatag ha amon han mga Ameriikano nga mga mag rasa nga pakaon. Di na nam kinahanglan mamiling hin makakaon ngan mag hatag han mga na didto ha bukid.”
Even through peacetime, Fortunata recalled she was already 17 years old when the region started to recover from the ravages of war.
The 19 other members of the young guerrillas - who grew up so fast - survived to witness a new chapter in their lives.
Now known as veterans of war, these survivors and warriors who defied odds, still lived to witness the turn of the century as the region commemorates these important dates in history.
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