Abstract

The story of the first six months of defeat in the Philippines is best understood in the larger context of global relations and American-Japanese military strategy. Whether or not the invasion of our country by Japan could have been avoided, or the state of readiness of our defenses could have been improved any further before December 8, 1941, will remain debatable. But what cannot be challenged was that after the initial failures of leadership and the retreat to Bataan and Corregidor, there can be no question about the heroism displayed despite rapidly shrinking odds. The heart-breaking defeats and surrenders, magnified by the tragic Death March, are not just immortalized in the history of warfare, but are a watershed in our story as a people. This lecture will begin with the road to war in the Pacific and the opening attacks in December, recount the USAFFE defense and the ultimate end of organized resistance, and conclude with the development of guerilla warfare and the determination to continue the fight no matter the cost.

Dr. Jose Maria Edito K. Tirol graduated from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1994 with an A.B. Interdisciplinary Studies degree, and an M.A. in History in 1999. For his postgraduate studies, he went to the University of the Philippines-Diliman for a Ph.D. in Philippine Studies, which he completed in 2015. The dissertation he wrote was entitled “Of Forgetting and Remembering: Social Memory, Commemoration, and the Jewish Refugees in the Philippines During the Second World War.” Dr. Tirol is now on his 26th year working for Ateneo, serving as both an Assistant Professor of the Department of History, and since 2017, Director of the Office of Admission and Aid.