Filipinos Under Japanese Rule

The Lives of Filipinos Under the Japanese Rule and the End of the War

• The surrender of Corregidor signaled the end of organized resistance by Americans and Filipinos against the Japanese
• It also marked the start of the Japanese occupation of the Philippines
• On January 3, 1942, the entire Philippines was placed under martial law
• Filipinos were forced to obey the orders of Japanese soldiers and officials and assist them
• The Japanese proclaimed their goal was to liberate the Philippines from American colonization
• They emphasized that the Philippines was for Filipinos, adding that progress could only be achieved by joining the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
• The Japanese declared that anyone violating their imposed laws would be sentenced to death
• Activities punishable by death included destroying Japanese equipment and killing their soldiers, instilling fear among Filipinos to suppress resistance
• The Japanese committed numerous abuses against Filipinos, including torture, with methods such as beatings, water cure, and nail extraction
• The Kempeitai, the Japanese secret police, were particularly notorious for violence, especially against suspected guerrillas
• It was considered a grave insult for Filipinos to be slapped by Japanese soldiers, even for minor offenses such as not bowing
• Many women were raped by Japanese soldiers and forced into sexual slavery as "comfort women in comfort stations
• The Japanese aimed to win over the mindset of Filipinos, discrediting American contributions
• They focused on teaching Japanese culture and promoting East Asian culture
• The Japanese closed major information sources such as newspapers and radio stations
• Later, some were allowed to reopen under strict censorship and eventually controlled by the Manila Sinbun-sya company to control the information available to Filipinos
• Filipinos were allowed to continue with public entertainment, but movies showed Japanese victories and benefits of their occupation
• Some movie theater owners turned their venues into theaters featuring "escapist" plays with love stories and comedies
• The Japanese promoted education like the Americans
• They believed in capturing minds and hearts by teaching Tagalog and later, Nippongo to erase American influences
• The English language and American references were removed from books
• Despite these changes, school attendance remained low
• The Japanese established community organizations for governance, consisting of five to ten families to maintain order and report suspicious individuals to authorities
• On December 30, 1942, the Japanese founded the Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod sa Bagong Pilipinas (KALIBAPI) that replaced all political parties
• KALIBAPI became a vehicle for implementing political changes
• After a year, it had 350,000 members and youth organizations like Kabataang Maghahanda and Kabataang Katulong were formed
• These were aimed to instill patriotism, courage, and discipline to make Filipinos accept Japanese rule without resistance
• Benigno Ramos and Artemio Ricarte formed the Makabayang Katipunan ng mga Pilipino (MAKAPILI) to support Japanese soldiers
• The term "makapili" was later used to describe Filipinos who betrayed guerrillas to the Japanese
• The Japanese administration greatly impacted the country's economy by introducing 'military notes' or currency to replace pre-existing currency
• The Filipinos did not trust them because they resembled toy money without serial numbers, leading to inflation and shortages
• By 1943, the currency's value plummeted, necessitating the use of bags full of money for market purchases
• The currency was referred to as Mickey Mouse Money by Filipinos
• The Japanese aimed to exploit the country's natural resources to support the Japanese economy
• Initially, prices of primary goods remained stable but soon increased dramatically as the value of the Japanese currency decreased
• The situation worsened with American bombings, leading to 'buy-and-sell' businesses along with illegal activities such as stealing from corpses and prostitution
• Some even sold their children to provide them with a better future

Government During the Japanese Occupation

• The Japanese believed that they needed the cooperation of the Filipinos and declared their intention to grant freedom to them shortly after entering Manila
• Over a year after the occupation, the Japanese KALIBAPI was tasked to lead efforts to establish the new republic
• On June 20, 1943, Preparatory Commission members were selected to draft the new constitution, later ratified
• The new constitution provided broad presidential powers based on the 1935 Constitution
• Jose P. Laurel became the president of the new republic after that National Assembly as a legislative branch was founded
• There were 108 members, half were elected and the other half consisted of governors and mayors of the country
• Like previous legislatures, the elected officials came from the elite
• Benigno Aquino Sr. was elected as the new assembly speaker
• The new Republic was formally inaugurated, where the Japanese announced the end of martial law in the country
• Despite the new republic, the Commonwealth government in the United States remained existing
• According to original provision, Quezon's term as president was only one term consisting of six years
• However, before Quezon's term, an amendment in the constitution was made that allowed the president to serve two terms
• Given that elections were not possible, Vice President Sergio Osmeña was set to replace the president

The Leadership of Jose P. Laurel

• The belief of giving Filipinos self-governance supported the impression to gain support to Filipinos
• However, some Filipinos considered the new government to be a "puppet republic
• According to new studies, President Laurel did everything in his power to ease the suffering of Filipinos during the war, using his position to develop programs
• President Laurel rejected Prime Minister Hideki Tojo to declare war on the United States
• He removed all the Japanese in Malacañang and assured the Filipinos' safety as directed by President Quezon
• President Laurel's aims was to unify the Filipinos and to combat the influence of the Japanese for freedom of the country
• His programs and policies are focused on meeting the needs of the Filipinos due to the war
• Laurel implemented programs to increase food production like Bigasang Bayan (BIBA) and National Distribution Corporation (NADISCO) to address the shortage
• Program was launched for amnesty for former guerrillas against the wishes of the Japanese
• Some agencies and companies of the government were put back under control, making it possible to get the money to implement government programs
• The government of President Laurel underwent various reorganizations
• He divided the Philippines into 11 districts, declaring a state of emergency because of the war and was led by a certain commissioner
• T. Jose clearly stated that President Laurel was loyal to the Filipinos and for the Filipinos
• Laurel aimed to increase rice and vegetable production to address the shortage and establish community kitchens
• He encouraged people to plant vegetables in their area for their own supply of food

The Continuation of the Resistance

• The fall of Corregidor was considered the end of the organized military resistance
• Resistance did not end here and various organization was founded and continually fought against the Japanese
• Some former members of USAFFE who did not join Bataan or Corregidor continued the fighting
• Another one are those who are in the USAFFE division in Visayas and Mindanao and did not follow the order of General Wainwright to surrender to the Japanese
• They launched attacks on the Japanese despite their limitations
• Some groups fought against the Japanese through guerilla warfare
• One group was Hunters ROTC Group which consisted of who had military training
• Kumilos and Hunters ROTC in Rizal and other near towns, while Hukbong Bayang Labon sa Hapong in Central Luzon
• People from the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP) and Socialists Party ni Pedro Abad Santos, as they were the former of Komonwelt
• PKP was already with Komonwelt and was already going to fight the Japanese
• Included in the HUKBALAHAP are Luis Taruc, Casto Alejandrino, Felipa Culala, and Benardo Poblete
• The guerilla groups used different tactics in fighting such as armed confrontations and gathering information
• Women also become very important in the guerilla movements and some fought while others gave medicine and food
• Despite the one objective, there were still some issues between some guerilla movements
• General Macarthur had to send missions and to stop any conflicts

The End of the War

• Almost two years since General Douglas Macarthur left the Philippines, he began his plan to come back for the Filipinos, using the forces of Americans and Leyte
• The Americans began their fighting at Leyte since it was at the heart of the Philippines
• Leyte became very important since it can be used as a base for Americans
• With a commanding force, General Macarthur and many of the American force landed in the Philippines
• This announced the reestablishment of the Commonwealth government in the Philippines
• Battle of Leyte Gulf, also known as one of the most intense battle in the Second World War
• The defeat of their navy, the Japanese started the attack with Kamikaze
• Kamikaze is meant to go down on the ships to attack
• To win, they tried to control Mindoro and Lingayen
• Americans were also trying to control areas such as Mindoro, Lingayen, and Pangasinan to defeat the Japanese In order to lengthen the war, Yamashita took his army to the mountains
• There, he removed President Laurel and the cabinet in the city
• Since MacArthur was already arriving, he sent reinforcements to Manila from Nasugbo, Batangas
• All of this was also with the Filipino guerilla