WW2 Memoirs of Ifugao Dep. Gov. Luis I. Pawid

(3rd of a series)

HE imperial military forces of Japan were in our midst on that day when war was declared between the United States and Japan. Within weeks, they succeeded in occupying major towns in the lowlands of northern Luzon.

They entered Mountain Province last. The harsh terrain of the Cordillera mountain ranges which comprises the old Mountain Province delayed their early conquest. Yet they succeeded without resistance.

Only Ifugao sub-province stood firm in defending their home grounds in the nearly forgotten fierce battle in Ibulao Pass, Kiangan. It is a saga of determined volunteer defenders, outnumbered and inferior in arms, who fought for freedom and democracy. That battle was the first recorded victory of native defenders against the advancing Japanese Army.

My father, then Dep. Provincial Governor Luis I. Pawid, recorded the following events in his diary:

“On Feb. 1, 1942, the scouts under command of Captain Guitters left Kiangan and posted themselves in Ibulao Pass. On the same date the constabulary marched to Santo Domingo Mt.

Japanese Army Enters Mt. Province

TRidge under the command of Col. Green. The scouts posted themselves in the natural holes or caves in the rocky parts of the canyon, and also across the national road. The constabulary, made their foxholes on the old trail above, and also using the forests as their natural cover.

“Col. Green ordered reinforcement with volunteers under my command. I joined the scouts at Ibulao on Feb. 2, posting my men on the national road with the squad of scouts.

“Our scouting party reported that the enemy was 16 kms. from our positions.

“Late in the evening of Feb. 2, Lt. Estralla, of the scouting party retreated back to Lamut and so our men relaxed a little bit. Col. Green went back to Kiangan HQ while I also rushed to Nagacadan barrio to find my family whom I did not see during the month of January. And I did

not even know where they evacuated.

“On the early morning of Feb. 3, our boys went out early to observe the enemy, and at a curve about a km. from our foxholes, enemy and our boys met. The scouts ran back as fast as they could to their foxholes on the national road, and the enemy was chasing them, succeeding in shooting one of the scouts, Prvt. Pedro Celeste on his left leg, breaking the bone. He fell into a rocky pocket of the precipice, without which would have fallen into the river below, 50 feet and would have died.”

My father returned around 9 a.m. while the battle was on. He narrated how the advancing Japanese soldiers were allowed to come closer when: “… our boys gave them all the bullets of their rifles. The enemy was shot with the first rapid fires of our men in every foxhole. … the enemy was puzzled where all the shots came from”.

He continued: “Our natural covers among the rocks and heavy stone parapets across the road completely hid our boys. The scouts on a higher elevation killed most of the exposed enemy on the road, while our men on the national road engaged those that were chasing our scouting party. During the rest of the day, the enemy was