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Communications from the Island Gov. ernor, Tomas Confesor, to Col. Leopoldo R. Relunia, C. O. for Iloilo 1943 UNDERGROUND RESISTANCE MOVEMENT JAPANESE OCCUPATION

Central Philippine University Library

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA COMMONWEALTH OF -THE PHILlPPJNES . OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

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PANAY Ja~uary

23, 1943

Lt. Col. L. R. Relufiia Commander, AUSA, Island of panay Somewhere -

My dear Colonel: On the 21st of December last, Mr. Juan J. Buenafe and Maj. Castillon came over to my place of security to confer with me on various matters. Due to ~y health, however, I took up with them only the question of issuing emergency currency notes, for I considered it as _the most pressing necessity.

As to other questions, I told them that I would be willing to take them up later on as soon as my health would permit it.

Ye arri~ed at a definite agre~ment that the CUrrency Committee should proceed immediately to print the notes. To that effect, I deSignated Mr. Buenafe as Acting Manager of the Philippine ational Bank, Iloilo Branch, so as to enable him to sit as Chairman of the Emergency Currency Committee. At the same time, I issu~d a written instruction to the Committee on that regard. A month has already elapsed since that conference and so far no progress has been made in the issuance of the emergency notes. I began to wonder what was delayi~g the . matter. .

If my information in connection therewith ii true, the cause of t~e delay may be Wholly attributed to wnat appears to me an unfriendly attit~de of Maj. Castillon. towards the civil gover~ent and the civil authorities. When I left the conference I understood that the printing or' the notes would begin immediately. Instead, however, of cooperating to get the work started,. Maj. Castillon arrested )lr. Villalon, the printer who was to take charge o£ the printing of the notes~ and applied on him a terrorist~c procedure worthy only of the former tzar of Russia and of Eitler and h~s · gestapo. I understand that Mr. Villalon was made to sign an affidavit under threats of death in .. th~ headquarters of Idaj. Castillon. ·This is a matter. that should oe looked into to ascertain its veracity, a,pd if true, Maj. Cast~llon has disqualified himself thereby to . wear the uniform of the United states Army and to be in the rooster with other men who are fighting for the principles and ideals of democracy.

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Maj. Casti110n also sent soldier~ to get the press of Mr. Villalon from its former place of security to be taken to a place, .whlch I do not know wher , thereby jeopardizing the

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safety of the press and be ~lan to print the emergency notes.

The press and all its a~cessories call for no lessthan one hundred men to move them from one place to another. It was, therefore, thoughtless on the part of Maj. Castillon to have the same moved -about and this was done despite your statement in your letter that there was alread;" :a press somewhere else for that purpose and despite my instructions not to move the press from a place where it was hidden. Furthermore, Maj. Castillon had no authority whatsoever to do what he did to the press and Mr. Villalon.

It should be clearly borne in mind that nobody has any authority to issue emergency currency no-tes in the province ~f Iloilo except the governor of Iloilo. For Maj. Castillon to meddle with it was high-handed on his part. I would appreciate it if you would tell Maj. Castillon to keep his hands off the matter. He should not assume that because he holds the Office in Charge of Civil Affairs in the ' rmy he ' can boss the civil authorities. If Maj. Castillon believes that he is a superior authority ~ver the governor of Iloilo he is entertaining a false dream. From now on, therefore, I will refuse to deal with Maj. Castillon on matters affecting the relationship between the military authorities and the civil government. His actions after . the conference point clearly to the fact that he does not posses$ the necessary qualifications to intelligently grasp the problems of governmental relations between the civil and military aut 0rities. He. may be a good soldier but that is a ll.

I have also been reliably informed that . Kaj. Castillon

• has been spreading mal.,icious rumors that the civil au'tfle¡r ities

have printed already P30,OOO.OO mf emergency notes. I wish he would make a formal charge under oath so that the matter would be brought to a formal investigation. Here again, if true that Maj. Castillon started this gossip, I say that he has once more committed another foul against the civil government unbecoming of a high ranking army officer.

He accused Capt. Benedicto of the Provincial Guards and Capt. Confesor for non-cooperation in connection With the issuance of the emergency notes. His charges against these two persons are ,bas-e less. As a master of fact, it was Capt. Confesor who prevaiied upon m~ to let also Maj. Castillon be present in the conference together with Mr. Buenafe. At first I llid not want to see Maj. Castillon for the reason that I had no business to take up with him and a~ Officer in Charge of the Office of~ Civil Affairs of the army, he had nothing to do with the issuance of the emergency currency notes. But Capt.Confesor begged me to receive Maj. Castillon with Mr. ~uenafe and I acceded to the Captain's request. If it were not, therefore, for Capt. Confesor, I would not have s~en Maj. Castillon' at all.

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s for Mr. Villalon, we had _him already for sometime before the arrival of Maj. Castillon and Mr. Buenafe, for our plans to print the emergency notes were already complete.

As a matter of ~act, two weeks after the landing Qf the Japanese in Iloilo, I took this question up with Mr. Cervantes, Uanager of the branch of the Philippine National Bank in Iloilo in .a conference somewhere in Leon, as Mr. Cervantes evacuated in one of the barrios of Leon, but upon his capture by the Japanese we believed that we had to change the composition of the Emergency Currency Committee and proceed in printing the -notes. Unfortunately, I got ill and when ¡¡Capt. Confesor came to visit me during the later part of November last year I tpld him of my plans to that effect and he asked me to write you a letter informing you of that matter, which I did on December 5, 1942. Capt. Confesor wanted to discuss with me at that time certain proposed changes in the organization of the civil government but ' I told him that could not do it because I was not strong enough to do so then. Moreover, I told the captain that those proposed changes were ' not of imperative necessity.

What was necessary was to have funds to carryon with the civil government as well as to keep the army intact. That was the reason why I informed you of our plans to print the emergency notes so that if you needed certain amount printed for the army, we would gladly do so.

With respect ~ to capt. Benedicto, my Executive-Secretary, it was unfair on the part of Maj. Castillon to accuse him of non-cooperation. Capt. Benedicta was respqnsible for ' locating Mr. Villalon and for securing his press, so that eve,rvthing was made ready for the printing of the emergency notes. Capt. Benedicto looked into all the preliminary steps preparator~,r to do the work and after the conference between Mr. Buenafe and myself, wherein Maj. Qastillon was present and wherein it was decided to proceed to print the emergency n~es under the old plan, that is, under the Emergency Currency Committee as created by the presi- .

-dent of the Philippines, everything was in readiness for it--the press, the personnel, the design and papers. I expected that in one week the work would be started and by this time much could have been issued if Maj. Castillon had not butted into a matter wi th which he.. had absolutely nothing to do.

Another information has been brought to my attention -that Maj. Castillon, for one reason or another, entertain certain resentment against Capt. Confesor and on account of which he awaited the captain in his headquarters with plans to arrest th~latter and perhaps subject him to threats and third degree as was allegedly done against Mr. Villalon. I had been wondering as to what Capt. Confesor did that provoked the animosi t:v of Maj. Castillon towards him. What I can say in this regard is

-~that capt. Confesor, as explained above, had done Maj. Castillon a good turn at the time when I thought it was not necessary for me to see the good major.

In view of the foregoing, it app ars to me qUite clear (1) tbat Maj. Castil~on obsessed with certain imaginary powers has been meddling in the question of printigg the emergency notes occasioning thereby its delay, (2) that he is unfit to deal with responsible civil officials on matters affecting the relationship between military and civil authorities; (3) that he resorts to falsehoods to P!omote his personal ends; (4) that . he is a dangerous man in the United State~ Army; and lastly (5) , that he lacks the frankness and sincerety required for promoting harmony and good understanding between the military and civil authorities.

I understand that you are proposing certain changes that affect the fundamental s~stem of our provincial and municipal governments. .This question is very important and needs a very thorough study by competent men in that field. We should be very very cautious in taking such steps during this time of emergency to avoid the disruption of the present administrative procedure in the provinces and municipalities. ' Even in normal times changes of such character could not be effected at a s roke of the pen. e have been getting along excellently here with the present administrative procedure despite serious difficu~ties.

As the old saying goes, "We " should not swap horses in mid-stream¡.

Nevertheless, I am open-minded on this question and I am ready to receive propositions on that regard. I am ready to ~i~~uss it with competent and responsible parties.

Assuring you of my esteem and ap~reciation of the attentions and courtesies which you have extended to my office and to me personally, and with my best wishes for your good health and success, I remain Very sincerely yours,

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~ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHI LIPPINES OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

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PANAY ~ebruary

3, 1943

Lt. Col. L. R. Reluftia Commanding General, Island of Panay Thr~ the, Chief of Staff In the Field My dear Colonel: Mr. Epifanio Montoro, Deputy Governor of the 3rd Administrative District of Iloilo, forwarded to me copies of his letter to you, dated January 15, ~943, together with affidavits supporting said letter. If the charges of Mr. Montoro were true, as I presume they were, he had good reasons for stating in his letter that 'the same constitute "a serious stumbling-block in the cooperation of the Civil and MilitarT authorities which is vital under the conditions now prevailing in fighting for a common cause, but also will reflect a bad impression among our people of our army. In this manner, the re,pect of 'our people of our army would, therefore, be for fear rather than one of responsibility. It will foment hatred and discord rather than court the sympathy and cooperation o~ the people. ithout the support of the people our arm~T is bound to fail and hence ever~'­ thing that we have long sacrificed will be doomed to perdition.

Other detrimental consequences of this incident, both ~ 0 the army and the civil government, would be very long to recount here. ° I would like to add in this connection that the services rendered by the members of the bolo battalion or the homeguards are voluntary. Neither the civil nor the military authorities have an~T right to force them to render gratuitous labor. Consequently, ' the civilians who voluntarily enlist themselves as members of the bolo battalion or ' as homeguards deserve all the considerations due them. As such, they should be treated with courtesy and kindness. ergeant Francisco Cepeda Who maltreated EI1>idio Memarion in accordance with the affidavits of said Memarion, FrancisC~~ Gerona, and Conrado Mira shoul~ tnerefor~J be thoroughly inv~stigated by the army authorities and if found guil ty, sh-ould be punished accordingly. I do not. beiieve that any member of the army ~as any authority to maltreat any voluntary civilian laborer uniess the latter a 't tempts to commit violence upon the person of any member of the army. In this particular case, if the facts as stated in the papers that Deputy Governor Montara. submitted to you for consideration were true, the sergeant in question deserves a heavy punishment.

The papers in question speak also of the part that a certain Lt. Felicisimo Lusaya took in the affair. Again, if the state-

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ment of Deputy Governor Montoro and the affidavits herein referred to were true, said deputy governor was justified in charging Lt. Lusaya of "serious discourtesy, conduct unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman and abuse of force and arms against a person in .a uthori ty." 1_ do not believe that Lt. Lusaya was capable of doing such acts as charged by Deputy Governor Montoro but I cannot concei~e how Mr. Montoro could charge him with such a grave irregularity unless the said lieutenant actually committed the acts as related by Mr. Montoro in 'his letter dated January 15, 1943, and as evidenced by an affidavit subscribed to by Mr. Paulino Reguera, Municipal Secretary of Cabatuan. This is a+so another matter that should be thoroughly investigated by the army authorities.

Another instance which shows the ruthlessness of Sgt. Cepeda and the utter lack of responsibility on the part of Lt. Lusaya is related in the affidavit of Leon Guycua which was also submitted to you by Deputy Governor Montoro. This time, Sgt. Cepeda was in the company of another soldier by the name of Eleno Moneva, who was responsible for the assault, . and Lt. Lusaya, their superior officer. According to said affidavit, Cepeda and Moneva maltreated and manhandled Leon Guycua which was apparently done with the permission, if not with the promptings and encouragement of Lt. Lusaya.

During this critical times when we need all the cordial cooperation of all the elements in ~he community to support the army, it is incumbent upon those in authority to see to it that its representatives in the field should - not alienate their svropathy and, still more, the affection of the people towards o~r soldiers. Alleged abuses as that committed by Lt. tu~aya and Sgt. Cepeda, unless corrected, are enough to bring about se~ti­ ments of hostility and indignation on the part of the civilian population against our soldiers and their officers. Consequently, Deputy Governor Montoro was right in making the suggestion to you that Lt. Lusaya be removed immediately from his present assiEnment .to another place not within the 3rd Administrative Dxstrict of Iloilo.

Please do not misunderstand me in this connection as if I am chargipg the whole military organization of abuse of authority and ~nfair dealings with the civilian population b~cause this is far from my thought. What I wish to point out only is 1jhe necessity of taking such action against Lt. Lusaya a.nd his sergeant as may be necessary in the premises in order to avoid ~ its repitition in the 3rd Administrative District or in any other district in the Province of Iloilo. Unhappy be the day should such abuses becdme common on the part of our soldiers and their officers.

They would be detrimental to our common cause. It is, there-

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fore, necessary that any tendency to that effect should be nipped in the bud at the earliest opportunity, and this would be accomplished, I am sure, by a thorough and impartial investigation of the case and by imposing upon the guilty parties such punishment as is commensurate with their fault.

Trusting in your cooperation in this regard and wishing good health and success, I remain Very sincerely yours,

TOMAS CONFESOR Governor Copy furnished: I. The Chief of Staff

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UNITED STATES'

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COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES OFFICE Of THE - GOVERNOR

PANAY

March 28, 1943

My dear Colonel: There are a number of .things in ,rour letter Gf February 15, last, that I did not take .. ilU my last letter to you, referring sp-ecia.l.1:y..wJ. th J?rofi teering, supplying the Army with food and clothin ; and the rinting o~emergen~y note~ _.~.~~~_ _ E~fi.!~!~~. - Your plan to eliminate profiteering Vlould encounter t e same dFaw backs as now obtaL~ing. despite ordinances, rules and regulations aimed against it. Enclosed you will find a COp~T of my memo:randum on relief measures outlining a merchandising project which I believe-;Quld-reduce this evil to -, the minimum. your plan should be a pa-rt of the m-erchandising s-cheme to suppl~' the merchandising centers provided in the merchandising project with goods for sale.

E~~~_~~~_Q!.oth!~. - you will also find in the memorand_um . a food production program and other lanse

We · have foun4 rice and sugar sacks as good material for "ackets and shorts. Many of our provincial guards wear rice sack Jackets .00 shorts. Of course 1 sacks are ge-t-ti11l:;> sce,Tee-·------... and if we commandeer t~ .o-u-i . the :2rQblem of coptainers tor rice and corn. To remedy this, I sent a mar to a:n.b-o~- Ca.t.>iz, _---..;,;;.=:; to en ' t eav s OJ f -J;:st. c1 ss buri bags, which sold os: 'P12-4-QO per hundred before the landing of the Japanese. _ I pTOPOS~ tQ buy 500 1 000 sacks of that qualit~T. - As soon as we have those buri containers available 1 we commandeer the jute bags and exchange them for the buri.

If :vou read thru my memorandum on relief measures; you sill find that there are also .J:'rojects t-or raiSing fibre crops and · for encouraging the weaving industry_ A little amount of abaca fibre ma- be secured now, and with this I am going to try the weaving of abatex purely with abaca and also thick pinokvok. ~ergencv Not~s.- 'To - put in effect the relief measures as ~--------~--~~randum in ~hat regard, it is imperative that funds for that puipose-:=shoul . ,a vailable. The .1:'~ogram calls for P2,OOO,OOO.OO investment. I dire~ ed t~~ Currency Commi ttee to print this amount. ~Ve have Villalon's pre9s arrd' his men are ready to proceed. Materials are J Iiowever J... lacking most gf i'~h~ch ar£. y i th Maj. Castillcn, - according to him ~d ...tb.!2.. :/

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00d major seemed rather "reluctant in turnin them over to us.

Ilease tell him that he should not "·take that attitude for his wn good. ." ;

With reference to -the rroy'n nC0d for notes, just let us know u.S to how much ~'ou" need, i r vou wa~ t un to ... rint them and ~ would do the Job for 'vou.

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en"t :TOU a message requesting the' d.etu.il the two Infante brothers ~ho worked w"th Maj. Cast~ Ion i rt rinting the notes in the Diolosa pres~ Villalon n eds very .. badly fo'; engraving 1Pork. }lease direct Maj .. end them over to the Villalon press.

If yOll have an.r other i9.eas that the civi,l. gov~nUJet"lt shOUld undertake to accom~lishl turn them over to me for e~­ ecution.

i th m,' best personal regards, Cl-,nd rna: God be TIith us until Victory and thereaft.er, I remain Sincerely yours;

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-e peci~lized in Radiolo y (X- T(ay S( jence in San ,:-ua de ") ios :- osp~ t~ 1 .., ld w'" 6 Ass i tar>t :'0 tt' ~ire cto ... of St. Pau:'s Pos it?1 or ~lo:lo fo ... six ye~r , :n ~ ic cap'lcit e . . a. "'rerltl.,.r J'lelpea t b .l''Ily ri b om :'n- 0 ...

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May 27, 1943.

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~1vIEvIORANDUM OR·DEB -:

For all Deputy Governors Municipal Mayors and Other Civil Ofric ials RE: Declaration of Principles ' and Policies and Definition of Objectives and Rules of Action Governing Relations Betw-een the Civil Govern": '. .ment and the ~ .. _ After a friendly am amicable interchange of cOmmunications regarding the pOViers of the Civil Q-ov-er-nment an the one hand and the authority of the Arnl'y on the other, the O"onibia.niing Officer of the 6th Milit ary Dis tric t and the undersigned, Govemor of Panay and Romblon, have come t.o esta1:}l:ish the l' ollow.fng fUIXlamental cases of cooperation between the Army and the Civil Government: -

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"With ref·erence to my rela"tions with' the civilian communities, I ha ve been d' wected .not 'to assume any- control over~ such UNLESS THE SAFETY OF'lIY FORCES ARE ENDANGE:RED." (Quoted from the lett er of Col. 'P eralt a to the unders~gned, dated Feb. 25, 1943.)

"x x x I · will just reit erate the basic' cont'ents of my last note to you, to the effEtct that th-e civil -nel.atons Of the ·Srme~ for~es -in -this district w1.ll be here_ after under my innnediate control and that the c'lvi-1 a.ffErlrs office is limited to fact-finding duties hereafter; that civil . .gpvernment is to be run .entirely by your office, that your civilian offi.cial.s loyal to our constituted government will get our neartiest support •. Itrust tpat thfs !s satisfactory. tt (Quoted from the letter of Col.• Peralta to the underSigned, aated March 17, 1943.) x IT IS MY PURPOSE TO VOID fURT~ MISUNDERx x x ccordingly, I suggest that we be guided by the following general polici es: . "(1) Martial Law is lifted am the Army will not interfere in civil af:fairs except whEr'.e its safety is endangered. . "(2) Civil government · ani c iV+l functions remain entirely within the jurisdiction of proper civil officials.

1t(3} lt is the prime policy of the , armed forces to protect the dignity and safety of the civil officials. "(4) The civil government will continue to cooperate with the rmed Forces by furnishing information and supplies to the Army. . "(5) Law 9-1'l.d order will be maintained by the ArItted Forces.

For crimes which do not mean treason, the civil r government will be responsible for the holding and trial of suspected persons. "(6) For crimes, involving tEeason, sedition, and against the security of the state, ~ the person will be turned "x

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over to the Armed For c es .. "(7) Any person holding Office under the Japanese Army of government does so at his peril. tt (8) Should any person resist arrest or attempt to escape while under arrest is killed during such " action, a report of the detail will be forwarded to me n (Quoted from the letter of Col. Peralta to the undersigned; 'dated Feb. 2~, 1943).

With exception of Paragraph 5 of the general policies suggested above, which is purely a civil function and should --remain in the hands of the Civil Government, except when it is inca~able to cope with the duty of maintaining peace and order in which case the- help of the J[ Armed Forces would be necessary, the undersigned wrote a letter to Col . - ~ Peralta, dated pril -30, 1943, quoted as follows: "The &eneral policies which you enumerated for guidance the relationship between the Army and the civil authorities are exemplary, without saying that t~e same were formUlated in accordance with the instructions of Gen. MacArthur in his series of c anmunic at ions \vi th you. Jf regar~ing

"To avoid misunderstanding, and sometimes cl~~hes, between your men and mine, in the field, &pecially between Mayors and Oompany or Sector Commanders, I would suggest that if they desire certain th~s done by the civil authorities they, the Army Of- ficer.s, should ~EST the latter to do so for them, -and giving the reasons for said request, instoea:9- of sending out memoranda to civil _o~icials ORDERING this or that~ Recently, a young lieutenant wrote the mayors of the Fi-rst Administrative Dis~rlct ORDEB, ING them to' close all the cockpits in, their re 's pective municipa ¡' lities. As to be expected, the mayors ignored th~ young. fellow's - resounding order; However, ' if he had appro~ched the mayors or the Deputy Governor concerned and explatned to them that cock-pits at certain locations were military liabilities, there would have been no question raised as to their closing on the part of the civil officials. The re~est w9uld have been ,gladly complied with, avoiding thereby misUnderstanding and fric-tion~ tt (Quojied from the letter of the undersigned to Col. Per-alta, dated April 16, 1943.)

~

., "Oert'a inly, i t= has been the desIre of ~ the Army to allevia t, the acute financ ial problem being suffered by both the Army and the civilian popUlation. Accordingly, x_ x x sufficient funds to pay partial salaries of enlisted men and to pay goods and 8Up~ plies commandeered. x x x To make good the desire and the promise of our Headquarters to relieve financial suffe"ringa, as . Major Muyco oontemplated ,i n his letter to you, .dated 15 January '4.;: perhaps it would please you and your people to know the definite step taken by the Div1sion Finance Officer, by the order of the - Division Commander, to effect payment of gpods and supplies cornman dee:raed rrom the people in his Oircular No.1, dated 17, March '43, which reads in part: 'Goods and supplies commandeered from merohants and oivillansshould be paid at once based on the

• following conditions: .

- f,A - Goods command~ered bef'ore the organization - o~ the G-4 will he paid upon presentation of receipts sigI.led by the duly au~~orized officers 'o f the Commandeering Unit.

'B - Goods and 'supplies commandeered after the organization of the G-4 will be paid upon presehtation of receipts signed by the Officers of' the G-4 or their duly authorized representat'ives. + . . _ fAll receipts should be preSented to the DiviSion Finance Officer for preaudit and payment. Small merchants with limited capital should. be paid at once.'

"Since the procuremoe nt of ~uch goods and supplies wb.ich were us.ed by the Army was almost done by the G-4 Officers Q[' their authorized representatives from the Civil Administrators under the .management of the Deputy Governors and ToWn Mayors, it is desired that reaeipts for goods and su~plies commandeered for the use of the .Ar.my be signed by the duly authorized Officers of the Commandeering Unit, or by the Officers of the G-4, · or their duly authorized r.epresentatives, as the cases may be, in conformity with the above quoted paragraphs "Air and "BIr of CirculiD No: 1 of the Division Finance Officer.

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"It would, therefore, be greatly appreciated if you could advise those persons from whom goods and supplies were commandeered to secure propelil$' signed receipts ~rom the Officers who are authori.zed to commandeer for tlie Army in order to ef~ect immediate payment within the limit of our present funds .. " (Quoted fI'om the letter elf' the Chief of s-ea:rr -to the ~ersigned dated ~pril 11, 1943.)

"I 'was' glad to receiv~e -YQUT letter of: April Tl, last, and to note therefrom your pleasure on the support and coopEl'_ation given by the civil authorities to tne Army: It -is 8J.so pleasing and; indeed a relief to mow that the Ar;iny is going to pay commandoeered, goods. Of , course, I , do not expect- yoti people rto me et full payment thereof in the meantime.

T-liis wil}.: sa~ve us from a lot of embarrassment. ~his had been a part of the -verbal understanding made between Maj .. Muyco and royse).f which. was the basis of my memorandum to that eff~ct to all Deputy Governors and Municipal Mayors. '1!owe,v er, :r ani c.i rcularizing a pertinent'~ portion of: your Tetter ~o all Uepu ty Gov_ernors and mayors for their :ftl rther informati-on arid guidanc e • -,. °t

"In spi te of the fact that ceI'tain quest ions have already been between the higher headquarters of both the -Army and the civil officials, var.i .o us obvious enoroacbmen ts on c~vil powers have been made by some~ ~rmy ~ff'icers in~ tne field. In this connection, I am enclOSing herewith,., -f or your lhrormation and f9r ~uch action as you may deem proper to take thereon, a true copy of the proclamation of Lt. Lerma to all members of the Bolo Bat'talion or rond-illas', the supervis ipp- of which exclusively belongs to the civi'l authorities. This is the_ sor,t c£ thing which has continually givep. rf.se to ccni'licts a,nd misumerstanding bet" ween the clvil authorlt-ies and your men in the fi eold·. There had been man¥ ot'hers wh~ h are already considered closed and decided cases but there are many mor-a which are p ending and which I have referred to proper civil officials and army authorities for proper disposition. I think I do not- have to tell you that this Ofiice does not -eveon have enough

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time to deal on ~ore important matters than this one tust as your Orfice ~tte~ly lacks~ time for -its tactical and field plans, but I am calling your atten:tion~ to this particular case a~ an example of s :imil~r atul parall_e l cases done by some . my 1m n in the :f1 eld, with the hope that the same wilY be highly mintmized if not entirely done away with.~ _ (Q,uQted from the letter of the undersign~ ~o the Chief of Staff', date~ May 3, 1943.) , _ _ Ifl answer to the above, Lt. Col. Julian. C. Chaves, Chief of Staff', wrote a le~ter tp phe pndersigned on M~y 8, 1943, which reads in part

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"Surely, I am in words and in deeds' with you in your expression that petty instances of erroneous -and unwarranted a9 tuations of our subord~nates give us more headaches than - the most delicate dangerous problems we have on hand. -However, .due attention . is also given to such cases and corresponding actions taken to merit thefr importance and seriousness" A~ I be. ve openly stated in our conference, we are taking all necessary steps to educate and mold the . character's of our young _army.tI ~ .

-

Furthermore, the Chief of Staff issued a lre~moraz:1dl}m t~ Maj. P. Alajar, CO, MP Bn, on May 5, 1943 on this subject a p~tinent portion , of whfu h ~ re~s as follo,{s: •

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_ rtl .. This CP is in receipt of a copy · of t.he' instru~tions issued "by Lt~ LErma, Platoon Leader of MP Unit assigned in. the Municip~lities of Leon, Tigbauan, quimbal, Miagao, San Joaquin, IgbaI'a::r and Tub1.l.figan, to all tfrondillas It \Vi-thin those muniei-pa ... lities. Perhaps; he issued ~hose instructions in the weight of your _ Bqlletin~o. 1, 25 March 43 regarding this ef~eot. While on one hand, we agree with you in all respects regarding the activities to be done by the ftrondillas It, but on. ·t-heother hand, it is wished here to inf"orm you ' that the control of ' civilian affairs, much more so, with regards 00 pollde duties within the prerogatives of civil officials, is a civil function. , In this partic\llar cas'"e; it _w ould have been nice for you to Save submittec. " XkB pI' qposi tton to the Military Governor of P~ y thru the OCCA who in ~ tl.!rn, without doubt, will issue corr.espondlng regUlations to thos.e who are responsible ,for ' the control of the "rondillas tf in any locality. 'In this way, it is believed they would heartily and gladly accept these responsibilities. "x x x In your lett en, you requested me to take care of the fqllowing needs of the 51st Divi.s ion: (1) Food (2) Labor ("3) Money-, and (4) ~nfQrmatiDn and education of the people. The civil authorities are reaa~ to assume fuli responsibility in provi~ing the army with all these needs wit.h in the capacity of the people to give, und,ertJl~1ng' at the same time the task of education and intb rmation as contemplatad in your letter. x x x The Army, however, should cooperate and asslst us all if called upon to do so by the civil officials. x '. x x should the ci.vil authorities fail to meet the r~easonabre requirements of the Army in this regard just call the ~ attention of the pr.oper officials of the ci viI government and efforts will be~ exerted to meet the -needs of the army in this res.pect. I ~ feel pround in telling you f _rankly that So far the civil authorities have fUlly and competently done their duties.

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"If I understand right, the functions of the Army is to watch, fight and ulttmately ~efeat the enany~ These ape the . principal functiQns. of the ruMny. -It rests upon the civil governmentto take care of providing the army with food, labor, money, and other things which would renier our fighting force effective in accomplishing their objective. x x x In a number of instance~ there might have been difficiencies but in these eases it was not due to the indif.! erance nor lack of interest on the part of the civil officials." (Q,uot ed from lett er of the undersignEd. to Col. Peralta, dated Feb. 11, 1943.)

. Promis ed on the foregoing pr lnciples and polici es" the Giv1l Government has defined as it hereby defines in the rollow1ng the rules of action and objectives in its earnest endeavor to COOPEr- ate lo-yally with the Army:

1. The Civil Government and the Army ar e Doth vital and active factors in this war .. One is jus t as necessary and ess en tial as the other to dereat the enemy. Consequently, each entity should bend all its efforts, in -harmony and in mutual c0-0per 8.tion, to\l\{ards the succ es sful prosecution of the war to a vi e-torious end. Altho, each is an independent organization, yet they should no~ work at Sross purpo~es~ Their activi~ies and efforts should be properly coordinated to achieve their commoa end.-.. VICTORY. 2. Th~ duties and responsibilities of the civil government and its officials to the Army are the following: a- . b. c. d. e.

To To To 'J;o To

provide the Army with adequate -::rood supply; prOv ide the rmy with -adequate labor suppl~; help the rmy gather information of military value; help the Army insure its sai'ety; help the ~y ~acilitate its moveme~ts a~ the execution of its plans; r. To help ~aintain public confidence on its integrity.

"3. Deputy GoVerJ;lOrE, municipal mayors and food edmini&t-rators should therefore exert every effort to meet th~ ~Teasonaole requirements of the Anuy with respect to food. Red tape -in this regard should be avoided. The rood supply fol" -the Army in every municipality should be distributed at strategic points and the persons Charged thereof shou~ be easily accessible at each place. mobile army unit has no time to lose looking for the muni,cipal mayor or tood administrator to r~quest for rood. Every barrio teniente is, ther>erore, hereby authorized to supply any army mobile unit w1~h - food upon <cash payment or proper r~ceipt thereforee by the commandingoff'ieer ot the unit, be he of whatever rank.

Any unit commander refusing to pay cash or to sign the ree-elpt for food supplied to his men ana himself should b~ reported bmnediately to the corresponding Mayor who in turn shall forward the report to this Ofrice thru the corresponding Deputy Governor. Reasonable prices should be charged for ,food stuffs purchased 1b I' or by the Army or furnished to them. Should tho price for_ food s tu:ffs purchased ror or by the Arm~ be . excessive, the Mayor, the ~ood dm1nistrator or the Ten len te del Barrio shall rix a reasonable price¡ for the same_ 4. Upon request of any army officer, the deputy governor, the mayor - 5 (over)

/

or t enient'e· del barrio shall furnish him with such number of laborers as may be requ..ested. E.ach laborer should be paid for service rendered at the rate of fifty~ centavos (!I'. 50.) a d.a~ with food or sixty centavos (I-.60) -a. day without food .. Should the requisitioning army officer lack funds to pay the labore-rs ·, he should give each a receipt I'-or the amoUll . due to each for the. corresponding number of days .of service rendered.

Service for a fract~on _of a day ' shall be considere~ a full day's work.

A labor poel sheuld be ' maintained by each teniente del barrio frem which to draw the labor supplied te th e army upen request.

5. It is the duty and respensibility of all any every civil effi~ cia1 and employees te furnish the army with any inf'erma tien .of mili tai .. value. Fer examp-le, enemy mevement, their number J t..h.eir directien and destinatien, their equipment, etc. sheuld be furnished te the nearest army unit.

6. At the same time, it is the duty and respensibility .of all an·'" every civil of.'ficial te help insure the safety .of the Army in the fel,.,).,.:" ing mBIll;ler: . s. Te censtantly warn civiliru1s net to taLk about ' Army whereabeuts, t heir number and. tb9:1r mevemen ts.

Te censtantly warn civilians net to talk abeut werk ,that they de for the r.my, as transpertatien .of supplies or equipment. c. Te arrest suspicious characters and turn than ever te theprQ~vincial: guards or~ army authorities fer investigation. . d. To suppress espionage and fifth celumn work con.du.c.;t..ed by the enemy. e. To c~nstantly warn civilians te be alert and not to allow tbemS"el ves to be caught by the enemy. f. Te help ex-ecute military rules and regulat.ions· upon request by military authorities.

7. Whenever any army unit is under orders te execute' a missien, every civil .official should lend his cooperation for its successful ~ccomplishment. ny actien of any civil .official that would tend to delay, obs,truq t or.B.:e~ustTate the accomplishment .of said rilission shall net be ceun tenanced by: this 'Off ic e. and anyone feund guilty of this .offense shall be drastl~ally dealt with. ~ 8. buses by subordinate frequen~ly reach this Office.

army authorities and indiVlidual army me-...

These anemalies sheuld not surprise us.

It is but human that members of the Army on occasions go beyond the scope .of their authority • . few youns ' men ~~ uniform, specially under cendi tiens .obtaining during a pet'ied lilce ' this, ""find. it d.ffficul t net te be ever censcious of their importance. 'Consequently, they- overshoet their mm-k very often. Others u.m et' th -e cloack of' Army disc ipline blindly, and at tine s maliciousl.y, execute their orders throwing prud <!.c -" common sense and every sentiment of human censideratien te the winds ignor 1ng thereby the evil censequences of their actionB-. Still there are these who by association and training are haughtyand · au'l;oeratie.

Whether' iri the rmy or outside, they do n.ot know how to deal with the:'!.!' fellow men. They will not ,g et aleng anywhere.

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the Anny, civ"l o ff " c ial~ , are not relieved of t eir duty bility ~o cooperate in every Tay possible with the Arm:y. viduals may be d1 spensed with by the Army, but we cannot the Army. s above stated, the -Army is a vital factor . in

and resp onsiCel'ta in indido away with this war •

.. " Consequently) ~ we should be liberal and: broad-minded in -our dealings wilh army representatives .. !ie should be tolerant to the. faults and shortcomings ' of certain individuals therein. We should give wide allowance to the defects and delinquences of a few Army men. For we would seriously jeopardize our common cause should we not epdeavor to defend and protect its integrity and ~estige. It would be a tragedy should the day ever come when Army men would be looked upon with eli struct and fear by the common tao.

However, every abuse by*any Army man should not be allowed to go unpunished. To this end, abuses committed by any man~r l of the Army should be reported immediately to his supericr officer specifying the charges against him. Charges may be filed directly by the teniente del barrio, the Mayor or Deputy Governor -eoncerneq.. Copies, however, of complaints should be fUI"nished this Office for our information and guidance.

This or fice ,h..a.s the assurance of the Commanding Officer in Panay and Romblon that every Army man founl guilty of any irregularity or abu~e of authori ty wil l be punished accordingly. Action tak~n on various cases , reported to proper Army authorities vouchsafes this assurance.

9 • .Should a civil official entertain a difference of opinion with • -an rmy representative on certain questions of public administration, he shOUld endeavor in an amicable manner to cane to a working arrangement with -the latter. F~iling to accomplish it, he and the Army afficer _ should not t ry to settle the qu estion in tpeir own -personal way. On the -, contrary, the civil af'ficials sho.uld repo.rt the case- to his s uperio.r or-ficer, and tl1e ' nIlY- man -should do li'::ewise, for the final settlement o.f the question at is sue.

In this regard, civil officials and Army repres-ent at:1ves should come together as often as possible to discuss common problems. Even tb:ere are no questions at issue frequent contact between Army and civil officials a r e always productive of hannony and mutual understanding.

In dealing with Army autho.rities andmen, specially in t;ll .official way, .utmost courtesy should be observed -on the part of the civil o.fficials towards the fOI'mer .. OraI discussi<bls or WI'itten communi-catio.ns addressed to Anny o.fficers and men over certain public ques-t ions snould be couched in a respectful language .. Abusive and har.sh terms at'e out of place. In discussing controversial rna tters, .all c ivil.. .offi_c~als are hereby e~joined to. be calm and serene. They should ney'er lose their temper.

They must keep their heads cool.

10. In the administration o.f private propa> ties, lik e fi~sh po.nds, of puppets, cf enany subjects, of enemy collaborators, etc, this Office has taken the following stand aa embodied in its nemo.rendum to May~r Diames, dated May 5, 1.943: fiX

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In mJ: letter to Co.l. Relunia, dated May 2, 1943, I

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have explained the position that the 6ivil Governmen t has tak'e n therel"ln as f6llows~

t,1 . In case of fish ponds owned by absentee lantllords, who with no fault of their ~w n but a !,e now outside of Panay, the-ir prope-rty rights ther ein shOUld be fully. prot ected irrespective as to who ad.minister s said f ish ponds ~ I hav~. n o· objection to hny'administration of those fish ponds.

t2 . That irrespecti ve as to who adininisters the ftsh ponds the rmy should have - prior rights over the 11' output of fish.

However, every effort should b e exerted not to d'!3prive the communities within a certain radius of tho se f ish ponds with a c erttin portion of s aid output ..

'3-. That the amounb of fish that the Aim y may ' get to neet its reasonable needs may be taken by the np.y to any other point to supply any of their u.n:Jt s although outside the jUrisdiction ol' the acbinistrative District where the ' fish ponds are located. t '

.

"x x x If j ust comp en sation h as not been provided for by the Army on the output of fish taken by it, the question is s:1mple, for instead of taking over the adm:1n:tstration ot: said fish ponds from the Army anc .- requirihg them to submit their requisiti.ons for t;;m to the ciV'il auth "" .. . -rities, you or the partfes d:irectly iIterested should have sent repreE' en.-' tatives to the fish ponds to fix the price of any amount of fish d:l arg.s" able againS t the my in favor of the owners or the . 1esse~s ~' tAereof ..

These repres en ta t ives rosy at the sam 'time see to } t thit the propert i ~} in question are propfrly administrered andproper accounting thereof i~ , reneered on the output, af - f~sh t;urned OVEr ' t-o ' the Army. x x x In the case of Simplicio de la ,Pefia, et aI, who are ~es&ees ~d whom you alleged to have been depriv-ed of the rentals of' CEl' tain- fisli ponds, the~ may make !'epresen tations to the proper Army au thorities, thru y our Of .. fice or thru Dap. Gov. Golez for propEr account:ing of any fi 5h that tl rmy may have taken to protect their lease right s. In this c,ase wrere ,the lesS6r<s have been ems mered by t re Anrry as enemies thar eby subj e ing their propEf' ties to confiscation as spoils of war or booties, or otherwis e, neither the Army nor the civil au ther i t i es can claim more rights than what said owners or lessors of the proper:'t1es in question may have, wh:1cb. is the naked own.e~ship of said propa-- ~ies during the life-time 'of the contract of lease. The contract~l rights of the lessees who· do not have any Je anings with the enemy should, therefore, be respec~ed. This is the ' kim of pri vat 'e right :which neither the Army nor .til: the civil authorities have the right to destrpya The impairment of obligations of' contract is a well know prohibi tion the bil.l oC 1'" ights of our consti tution. ost that the Army or - the civil autharit.ies, a.s· ~he case may be, can e~ect thereby' is to demand for the renta'ls accr,uing and payable to the lessors " ho are considered by the army as enemies. Smce, however, as 1he Army reeds tre f1 sh that are produced .from said fishponds , Wha tever amount of said f ish is tak En therefran by tl:e .Army' should be accoun ted for aild deducted from the rentals due and payable by the lessees to the lessors. If the amount of fish takm by the Army exceeds the ren tals due and payabl e, s aid excess should be paid to the lessees j f the Anny is in a position to do so in cash or make proper. receipts thereof.

If this simple procedure is adopted, I do not see where there could be \, ---8 ....

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any SOurbB of misunderstanding between you and army authorities. The Army gets the f isb: and the lessees get paid l' or the same. I .ink that this arrangene nt will hold good in other kinds of prop~ ties similarly adruinis tar ed. tt 11. The fOJ 'ego:lng eonstitute the basic rules of actLon prescribed for civil authorities in the:ir relation with those of the iArmy. Strict adherence th Ereto is hâ&#x201A;Źt'eby enjoined. In their practical application, however, each Deput y Governor is g. ven ample freedom to us e his discretion, taldng juto account conditions and circums tances obtaining in his district. To this effect, he should endeavor to enter into a working agr eernent wi tb. the 00 nnnanding off lc er of the army in his dis tric t.

12. Lastly, in our relations and dealings with the ~y, we should always bear in mind that wehave before us in Panay and Ranblon a big task am a tremendous responsitllity. At the same time, thls task and responsibility offer us a golden opportunity to demonstrate to the world our capacity to run and maintain successfully a self-govern:r:i!ls~ democracy, as honestly as could be humanly accomplished, altho under the most inauspicious c :1rcumstanc es now obtaining. At this juncture, our only supervising authority is our conscience and sense of civic responsibility.

Both the rmy and the Civil Gov emmen t ar e in Filipino bands. And not only tilis, we who are holding responsible positions in both organizations, represent the mass composed of the ccmm.on men of our country. We all have sprang forth from the aVEr age Filipino home, modest and humble, but verile and noble, pricing dignity and honor over and ala> ve all other cons id er at ions.

We are, therefore, ~ the crucible. We should not fail. We must not fail. On the contrary, we should and must succeed. This should be the for ernost consideration in our mi.'11.ds in the adminis tration- 0 the Bivil Government in Panay and ROmblon. Forget petty jealousies and selfishness.

Throw them into the scrap heap. Henceforth, each and every one of us should solidly and unself1 shly put his shoulder to the. \"Lheel, cooperating wholeheartedly and loyally with the Anny, to win the VICTORY for democracy in geDleI'al, and for the cornman man of the Philippine in particular.

This memorandum order takes eft ect on this dat e, and repeals any order, regulation and/or instruction by this office contradictory to the provisions hereof.

(SGD .. ) TOMAS CONFESOR Governor Panay & Romblon TC:PAP NOTE: This Memorandum Order should be kept conf':Id ent ial.

Copies of this should only be given to Deputy Gwernors and thei:e Special Deputies, to Municipal Mayors, Officers of the Provine ial Guards and also to OfficEr's of the Army to whom copies of this may be furnished by the Commanding Off icer of' th e Sixth Military Ditric t.

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In the luUt .... r of the rel -CiOilehi 1') of ai vil ofl'i c .. Ells !ld eDlplo" ees with . r!llY~Autr.ol"'i ties, r~ports have reached t.liS vffice thut SOlne ci'Vil offioials arE not fully COOD.erL.ting 'I:.i t-h tlilito.ry autr.o.cit iee GllC1 the t they a.re" not "working hurd enouQl.

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it h s been the constant poiicy of this ~ffice re:pet.'tt n.l-. l€: t> Ql1e r .nd emphazisec in my previous lnstru.ctions t .,.' nt is commit+;<;. c1 to Give l'ull supJort to the arneI01'C..; _ ·e>trict. 'l·he....:e

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ble and il1.C')llCCi veb Ie to. say the .Least the t after a series 01' instruo-tions and cftlSI' y;hat v!e hc-e done po rql' in the resietallc0 Q'''sii'lst the nc::.'1V aud in the maintpt.!nce of the operation of the Govcrn.JCnt~in these lslands so e of our ai vrJ.; officicls do not still comprchenCl the I ·.portance- of their dutiee and r~epQnsi pili tie:; cl ring t lese da;ys.

Q'liile the u'a.e'ticned does not give full credence to thes e repDriJS ,.J.. ft1!), of the beliel' the. t ther, are reallyactual -eases \1b.er~ ci vil ofl':'cials haVe been neeli£en~ iI' the cisch€ rc,e 0::: their du'tie . . . sna 2' spons ibtii ties. '.I.'nil:' I founCt to be true bec&use in wv inEnection t~io·;i:a. $.0 1(; rlll'.l.IC:l.u<;" _ 4t iCf: of tee j.sl~lJ-d~ 0: n6\1 and .!:"Ol!1 lon; done 11i tloUt tfie _'...Lowleq;e of C1·:~ 011'2Ci~ls CDllce 'ned, 1 have note tlLut SOLlt civil o~ficiuls e...ce no·t workillG hard cn.O'.luh to juc~ii'y tne.: sacred trust im.posed \..1)01: tnem O~ their gov~ . .'nr1ent and peo Ie. J. t can not be deLieti, hoy;.cver, tl1~t most if not all. of our civ.il officinle i:ffiC: et;lplcyecs are l...U ... elfishly anG-. unr8scrvcdly cooper:... tin.... with the b..ruedfo ces. and uischarg L.'1.t; 't~l~ir du.ties ana r.("sponsibi11ties 1.'iith full r~co§nition of the FlSf;ni tude of the taCK berore them.. I should suy that !h n the hif;tory of tiie )c.l'i 'a 0 ... the li:'c of Our ~ou'4tr~ Bhulll:uve bee!!. ,~ritten d01-1!l$- the wO'k done uJ civ::'~ o":.l-'ici&ls .TIil::' s. tQJ1c1 out ~n boJ_ I' ... licf es, t ~ 1m t to ~b-he l"'C1.1.UrkcbIe D~t:;.iGtio:; of our pop. e. 0 these

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I have just l ' copy le~ter of !aj. Tomas d, Cast:4"o, 01: ie1 0 A , to all u s 'X'r me" - .m nic· a1 d provincial offiCials, da-r.ed October L~, 194)0 ong QtJ. ..el' -Gt.Lings lde.j", de astl'o quotes a por-wion of 1;1"1,;) cOlntnuniea"Gion of Co~o Peralta in "·lll:J.cn ""ill6 expressed ,!.lis opinion regal:cli"ng '~hose civilian~ wj 0 voluntSl:'illy ul'l'Gndo.cea to the 'nemy: l~ 0 . . ~ I stlall deal s1i~:cn.Ly ¥'I"itn ~ Rt-lIT OBS e This loS ,4a1' people a:t:e oound to suffere I-Ij is only linose ,iil'.n oold. n6Ql:t ~u Ul1i:li.no.tn.. ng

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These statements 0:: Col . Peralta are self- explanatory.

He 1s also oppos6a tiO the voluntary surremer of civilians to the enemy .md I think we .£lave mo re l'eason t o oppo se the idea to ini'Giate 'Gile VOll.Ultal~Y s.UI'rendel~ 0 f c1 vi~ians to the enemyo I do no~ oppose "Golera'Glng civilian~ "GO go to enemy occupied area because o f me a"Grocitiie::. of tne Ja_ anese o Theil' presence 't •• ere Vlould ~n some waJ be benefiC ial ro us if your plan 'to make some of 'Cnero as agents of tne l'Illy could be carried but. But I cannot a.dvoca.te tne idea of l'..aving the all.'1y or t.tH~ civil govern..>nent ini"(;ia'ce, "jjhe establishmen t of puppet govel'Ilmen'li or the surren.:ler of civillanpopulation. ~e s.bould nO"G do anvt:Jlin~ t;h t. could be used Is. tel' LO vlnd.1car.e l?u.PUO"Gft. The q.J.0s"&J.on of nUl"J.~endC!Z'ing 'tS0 t;he . pUPliet govel'U"'lents ~nould b f::."ee T e;'ero _or r;n:e civil f:t'ici. Is concer.... e· If ·.ne:! h succ~ed in liber'a'Ging {;l1.C peo 1 fr m 1£l-te a"Gr ciLoee comr.'l:1tted bv '",ne enera.y~ well and. good U't in no case s}- all e initiate the. surl'clfder of \ilia :'6ople or 'lihe 01 v:ll of±'icial .~ . . ~l is has b ~n our a,vowea policy 83. ..OR "Gila bCGinnin . of 'C' iB c(.)_J.t'lic"(~ and 10 S11.0'J.lc see t(') i -;; 'Gnat; WI) f hall :cemain 10 y o,l 'GO i v u_ r;:l trw

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