Quantcast
Channel: Key Philippine Military and Insurgency-Related Events
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 71157

Phil-US Military Exercises for Peace

$
0
0
From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 7): Phil-US Military Exercises for Peace

The military exercises of the Philippinesand the United Statesin Philippine territories is not an act of belligerence, much less warmongering.It is a peaceful way of keeping national sovereignty – and peace in the region.

It’s a fact – Americais still the policeman of the world.

If there are bullies – even just one bully – in the neighborhood, who won’t feel safe to be America’s “little brother”?

Accept it. There will always be nations bullying smaller nations.

Because it is a historical fact – might is right. Bertrand Russell, in his anatomy of power, made the point quite clear.

Genghis Khan and later his grandson Kublai Khan, Alexander of Macedonia, Napoleon and, down to the 20h century, Hitler – all are worshippers of power.Who won’t be tempted to join the club of the world’s strongmen?

The Philippinesis puny – but not a pushover. Diplomatic but won’t kowtow to a foreign aggressor. That’s why the so-called militants rallying against the on-going Philippine-US military exercises can pause and reflect.

To keep sovereignty the Philippinesneed partnership with Americaand fellow members of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Even with its erstwhile conqueror in World War II – Japan.

The Philippines and America had shown to the world that partnership between a big nation and the little brother could enhance sovereignty –even dignity. Go back 68 years ago in BessangPass, a little known place in Northern Luzon.

US-Philippine partnership hastened the formal surrender of Gen. Tomayuki Yamashita, the overall commander of the Japanese Imperial Forces in the Pacific.

Yamashita the “Tiger of Malaya” who had the reputation of capturing Southeast Asia at the initial stages of the war in only 14 days, was tamed by all-Filipino soldiers and guerrillas in the battle of Bessang Pass and then in Kiangan, Ifugao.

For more than three years , the Northern Luzonguerrillas – a ragtag Filipino fighters -- survivors of the Bataan Death March, escaped POWS, young college students and the native bolo men – were pushed back in their countless attempts to take Yamashita’s mountain fortress.

Most prominent leader of the Filipino freedom fighters of the North was Gen. Simeon Marcos Valdez, whose two nephews became Philippine Presidents – Ferdinand E. Marcos and Fidel V. Ramos.

More than 26,000 Filipino guerrillas participated in the Northern Luzon battles. More than 70,000 Japanese troops under Gen Yamashita surrendered at the end of the war.

The final assault of BessangPass was participated only by less than 100 all-Filipino ground forces. The battle of BessangPasslasted two weeks from June 1-14, 1945.

Victory was not possible without America, who provided air bombardment and field artillery support. US armament and ammunition secretly landed by US U-Boat from a USsubmarine doomed Yamashita’s forces. The bolos were replaced by powerful US armenents.

Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the U.S.Supreme Commander in the Pacific, recognized the sheer contribution of the Filipino guerillas with a glowing tribute by saying, “The work of the Northern Luzonguerrillas alone was equal to a front line division.”

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=0&sid=&nid=0&rid=541770

Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 71157

Trending Articles



<script src="https://jsc.adskeeper.com/r/s/rssing.com.1596347.js" async> </script>