10 landmarks that survived the Battle of Manila

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From February 3 to March 3 1945, the Japanese military used many of the city’s most prominent buildings to defend their position from the Americans as they retreated from the Philippine capital to Baguio City. Despite this many of the pre-World War II structures managed to survive the fighting and are still being used today as schools, churches, hospitals or government institutions. Here are 10 landmarks where crucial events occurred during the Liberation of Manila.
 

1. University of Santo Tomas

When the Japanese military took over Manila on January 3, 1942, they needed a place to lock up American prisoners of wars and members of the American and British expat community. Manila’s two-hectare Bilibid Prison on Calle Azcarraga (now the Manila City Jail on Claro M. Recto Avenue) quickly filled up, so they used the 21.5-hectare Santo Tomas as prison camp.

By 1945, it held around 3,700 American and European civilian prisoners; freeing them was the top priority of the US 1st Cavalry Division.

On the evening of February 3, some one hundred American soldiers entered from the rear by scaling the university walls, while five tanks entered the school ground from the front gate and crashed into the lobby of the main building.

Some of the Japanese soldiers managed to gather some of the prisoners and held them hostage in the Education building. This led to a brief exchange of gunfire followed by negotiations to release the hostages.

The US troops inside the campus released the Japanese troops who wanted to rejoin their army, but they were eventually killed by soldiers in another part of the city.
 

2. Malacañan Palace

Aware that they were losing the war, the Japanese military authority ordered Philippine President Jose P. Laurel to join them as they made their retreat to Baguio City. Laurel’s wife decided to stay behind in the palace, passing the time by baking bread and cookies. When the American tanks crashed through the palace gates on the eve of February 3, she was ready to greet the soldiers with freshly baked goods and mugs of brewed coffee. 

After securing Malacañang, the American troops rushed to retake Quezon Bridge, the only bridge not yet blown by the Japanese, but they were met by snipers and machine guns and the wounded soldiers were brought back to the palace. Geronima Pecson, the unofficial housekeeper at that time, with her staff quickly set up a 30-bed field hospital at the palace’s East Wing. They came prepared with a complete set of surgical instruments, ample bed linens and surgical dressings.

Even if the Americans had successfully recaptured the presidential palace, the fight was far from over. Realizing that their time was running out, the Japanese troops began venting their frustration on hapless civilians caught in the crossfire.
 

3. De La Salle University

 

On February 12, 20 Japanese soldiers entered the college on Taft Avenue supposedly to search for snipers hiding inside the school building. They then detained three servants and two priests for questioning. When the men returned from their interrogation, it was obvious that they had been tortured.

As the Japanese officers were barking orders, one of the priests who understood Japanese realized the troops were being ordered to kill them all. Immediately he asked the collage chaplain, Father Francis Cosgrave, to say the Act of Contrition. As he did, the soldiers began shooting and bayoneting the 70 people that were inside the college at that time. Among the casualties were 12 German nationals. 

Most of the victims did not die immediately. They slowly bled to death over the next three days. Father Cosgrave and nine other hid behind the main altar. They tried to remain calm as the Japanese effort to burn down the college. The American forces did not arrive at the college to free the survivors until the late afternoon of February 15.

 

4. Philippine General Hospital

 

According to international laws relating to armed conflicts, hospitals are not supposed to be fired upon. But that is not what happened during the Battle of Manila as the Philippine General Hospital was bombarded by American artilleries in an effort to get rid of the Japanese troops inside.

What made the situation more perilous was that, aside from patients and hospital staff, there were 7,000 civilians who seeking refuge. Even with shortage of medical supplies and incessant bombings, the hospital’s staff carried on with their work the best they could.

One of the hospital’s surgeons, Victor Reyes, treated one patient after another for 20 hours straight. The hospital director, Antonio Sison, went as far as protecting the identity of a Japanese civilian patient who was in a coma.  When the Americans finally freed the hospital on February 17, there were 150 dead and 1,000 injured.
 

5. Rizal Stadium

Built in 1934 for the Far Eastern Olympics, the sport complex was where the Japanese military sorted and documented Manila’s expat community before sending them to Santo Tomas.

By 1945 the stadium was used as a food and ammunition depot. The US 5th Cavalry began its attempt to recapture the stadium on February 15. They approached the stadium from Pasay via Dewey Boulevard (Roxas Boulevard today). They then encountered fierce resistance upon reaching the vicinity of Harrison Park (Harrison Plaza today).

As the American wore down the enemy’s defenses, Japanese soldiers began retreating into the stadium. Fighting ended on February 18, when American tanks broke through the remaining Japanese defense at the baseball stadium.

 

6. The Manila Hotel

The city’s grandest pre-war hotel, built in 1912, was high on the American’s priority list of places they needed to recapture; General Douglas MacArthur lived on the penthouse level in a suite built especially for him after he accepted the Philippine government’s offer to be the head of the military.

The assault on the hotel began on February 21, starting on the east wing of the hotel. By mid-afternoon the Americans had gained control. When Gen MacArthur arrived to inspect the battle the following day, he saw his beloved penthouse up in flames. Nothing was left. Among the items destroyed were two large vases, gifts from the Japanese Emperor to his father.  

 

7. Bayview Hotel

During the Battle of Manila, the Japanese military was known to have commandeered hotels and apartments which they turned it into brothels, or what they called a Joro House. Among the buildings they took over was Bayview, one of the newest hotels at that time. On February 9, 1945, residents of Ermita were ordered to evacuate their homes and report to Plaza Ferguson in front of Ermita Church. The Japanese officers herded young women to the hotel where they were violated. On the night of Feb 12 the hotel caught fire and some of the women managed to escape. Bayview, however, remained under Japanese control until the Americans were able to take over Manila Hotel, US Embassy, Army and Navy Club and Rizal Park on February 22.  

 

8. Manila City Hall / Manila Central Post Office

The assault began on these two government structures on February 20. The city hall was initially manned by 200 Japanese soldiers. Using a 155 Howitzer, American troops were able to blast through the east wing of the city hall. An infantry unit led the charge inside but was forced back out due to fierce fighting. The battle continued for two more days till there were only 20 soldiers left on the second floor. After refusing to surrender, the defiant soldiers were torched to death by flame throwers.

While not as heavily defended as city hall, taking over the post office was crucial for the Americans to enable them to reconnect access between northern and southern parts of the city. While they were able to gain a foothold on February 22, they were not able to enter the building until the next day.

 

9. San Agustin Church

When Japanese authorities ordered the residents of Intramuros to leave their houses, an estimated 6,000 sought refuge inside San Agustin Church. Over the next two weeks, the Japanese would systematically round up the men to be taken to Fort Santiago; most would be executed, though some were released.

As shelling in Intramuros began, San Agustin it took several direct hits. Those with medical background among the refugees did their best to treat the wounded. Dr. Antonio Gisbert recalled that prostitutes among the refugees would assist him, from getting much-needed supplies like bandages and blankets to taking out dead bodies.

Despite the shelling the 400-year-old church defiantly stood its ground. One reason for this was the women organized themselves as a fire brigade. They would collect urine in containers and they would threw them where the phosphorus bombs would land. This helped prevent the fire from spreading. 

By Feb 23, refugees inside San Agustin Church were finally allowed to leave. They marched under a white banner toward the American troops that managed to make their way into Intramuros. It would take another day for the entire walled city to be fully under US control. Of the seven churches that were in Intramuros before the war, San Agustin was the only one that manage to remain standing after the war.

 

10. Legislative, Finance and Agriculture buildings

These three buildings now houses our National Museum. With deep foundations and reinforced concrete, they were built to withstand earthquakes. But war was another matter. The assault began on Feb 25 with shelling from the 136th field artillery. US troops managed to enter the Legislative and the Agriculture buildings on Feb 26 but were forced to withdraw.

On Feb 27 they made a second attempt to enter the Legislative building and gained control by 6pm.

At the Finance and Agriculture buildings, resistance continued for another day.

On the morning of March 1, the US sent a massage t the Japanese soldiers inside the Agriculture building to surrender. When no response was heard, gasoline and oil were poured on the building and lit.  

At 2:30pm a similar broadcast was aired over the Finance building. This time 22 Japanese soldiers surrendered and walked out of the building, though some remained inside. On March 2 there was a two-hour artillery barrage and by 2pm an infantry entered the building for the final assault. On March 3 all organized resistance against the Americans ended nationwide.



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