Agapito del Rosario: An unheralded WWII hero (5)

Imprisoned by Japanese

Based on published accounts, Agapito “Pitong” del Rosario was brought to at least three detention centers in Manila by the Japanese Imperial Army forces during World War II. This was done then to prisoners with wide political clout. Knowing his popularity with the masses, the Japanese could not afford to take his security and incarceration lightly.

The first detention facility was the Philippine Women’s College (now Philippine Women’s University) along Taft Avenue (formerly Columbia Avenue) in the Malate district of Manila. He was brought there in late January 1942, when the elders of the Abad Santos clan were arrested at their rented home along Vermont Street in the same district.

Thereafter, Pitong and his uncle Pedro Abad Santos were transferred to the dreaded Fort Santiago in Intramuros. The other clan elders, however, were subsequently released.

It appears that while Pitong was detained at Fort Santiago, his family brought him food and other supplies like cigarettes regularly. While in detention, he continued to communicate with his wife Felicidad by way of a series of handwritten notes on small pieces of paper carefully concealed in the food containers and then smuggled in and out of Fort Santiago by his son.

On several occasions, he was able to see Felicidad through a window of Fort Santiago. She was at a spot outside the fort which was visible from his cell.

The schedule of her appearance at the spot was pre-arranged by the two through their clandestine correspondence.

It can be gleaned likewise from several of his handwritten notes that Jose P. Laurel, a member of the Philippine Executive Commission created by the commander of the Japanese Imperial Forces in the Philippines, could help in obtaining his release. The Abad Santos, del Rosario, and Laurel families were known to have close ties then.

In several of Felicidad’s letters to her husband, he was told that Laurel assured his release which would take place soon enough, or words to that effect. Unfortunately, the release that Felicidad wrote about and was assured of never came.

Whether she actually got to talk to Laurel about her husband’s plight is not evident. Perhaps, she merely told her husband about Laurel’s positive reaction to his release to buoy her husband’s spirits.

Back in early 1942, Laurel was not yet the president of the Japanese-sponsored Republic of the Philippines. He was installed as president only in October 1943.

In several of Felicidad’s letters to her husband, he was told that Laurel assured his release which would take place soon enough, or words to that effect. Unfortunately, the release that Felicidad wrote about and was assured of never came.

Del Rosario at Luneta Hotel

The third detention center Pitong was brought to by the Japanese was the Luneta Hotel near the present-day Rizal Park. This hotel still stands today, fully refurbished with modern amenities.

According to some accounts, by the time he was brought to the Luneta Hotel for interrogation, the place had been converted to an interrogation center of the Japanese Imperial Army, particularly for American non-commissioned officers who became prisoners of the Japanese.

How and why he was brought to the Luneta Hotel after his incarceration at Fort Santiago was not explained. The available accounts simply say he was taken to the Luneta Hotel for interrogation. It was perhaps because the Japanese had to ensure tighter security, fearing his popularity and political clout with the masses. (To be continued)