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Post by Karl Welteke on Jul 11, 2018 10:38:59 GMT 8
A visit to Corregidor under the new management 2018-07-06 to 08 The Corregidor Foundation Inc. (CFI) is now under the leadership of the Hon. Cynthia Carrion Norton: www.health-core.org/profile/cynthia-carrion-norton/Early April 2018 the Freedom Café, the former Gen. MacArthur Café received notice to vacate the premises. I heard it was about contract disagreements or something of that nature. They closed shop but I heard from several sources they are still negotiating, and maybe they will return but who knows for sure. On the 26th of June I visited the CFI office and they told me that the former Freedom Café 6 budget accommodations are now available to the general public under their management. I made reservations to book for two nights, the 6th and 7th of July. Since I come from Olongapo, Zambales I used the Prime Square Ent. (PSE) boats, which are now berthed at the MAAP Pier at the bottom of Bataan. Zc239. The closed and empty former Freedom Café (formerly Gen MacArthur Café) during my visit between the 6th and 8th July. We always enjoyed so much comradely and historical talk, there is none here now! Zc240. The building at right houses the 6 units/rooms for rent which are now managed by CFI. When I stepped ashore in the morning of the 6th of July I was directed to the CFI Admin building nearby the landing, paid the 1500 peso room rate per day, times 2 for two nights, the Corregidor Island entrance fee of 200 peso and a 50 peso docking fee for the boat I came with. That is the same rate as the previous Freedom Café rate, although they granted a discount to some very frequent visitors. I was shown the room (Room E), given a key and everything was ready like in a hotel room. The CFI Staff also informed me that like before the power is generally only available at the evening and night. Zc241. This is another view of the structure with the 6 rooms for rent. I show the upper quarry area above the entrance of the Malinta Hill Tunnel West Entrance. Recently there was a rock slide; an island resident told me that the rubble was about 2 truck loads. If you are a walk-in, visiting the island by another mean than the Sun Cruises, you just ask direction to the CFI Admin building and if rooms are available they will accommodate you. Or you could contact the new On-Island Manager Mr. Fidel Dellosa, 0927 420 710; his office is also in the Admin Building. Better yet, is to call the CFI Office at the CCP Bay Cruise Terminal, the landline is 02 8233281 and the CFI Address is: Room 10, Bay Terminal, CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Malate Manila. The best person to contact there is the new Director of Island Operations and Facility Management, Dr. Lauro (Larry) Domingo JR, lodomingo@yahoo.com Zc242. The other two watering holes besides the Corregidor Inn are still here and they did not give me any indication that they are on limited time. This is the Nhicky Jee Restaurant and it is located on the south side of Bottomside of Corregidor, the former Fort Mills. This establishment has been here a long time; I remember when the daughter Dian was still a teen ager over 10 years ago. Za987. This is the menu of the Nhicko Jee Restaurant, I had a pancit bihon meal this time, and it was very good. In the evening of the 6th of July I met an elderly couple there; they were overnight hotel guests and had a spaghetti meal. This couple was extraordinaire; he was 80 years young and his spouse 82. The husband looked like 60, in my opinion. They had visited Corregidor 60 times, that beats my count of about 55 visits. One also can rent a tent from this place for about 500 peso and at the admin office one has to pay a 50 peso fee camping fee. Zc243. This is the other watering hole, the Baywalk, which is located at the Banca Terminal, North-Shore on Bottomside, Corregidor Island. One can get cup soups here and or rice with a dish out of a can. It seems to be operated like before but it closes a lot earlier now, so does the Nhicko Jee. Zc244. Yes, this is the former Freedom Café at daytime and on the 8th of July, the day of my departure. But both nights I was sitting here, under some dim lights, all alone and no beer or other drink was to be had because the two watering holes were closed. And I did not want to go up to the hotel, the first night they only had one booking and last night there were 3 bookings. In April when the new management took charge they forbid the use or playing of Karaoke. Most western foreigner probable appreciates that very much but that must have caused a damper on the spirit of the employees. Plus all employees must now pay a rent, residing on the island in CFI facilities. During my two night visits I did not see any socializing among the Corregidor resident like before. I heard some rumbling, complaining and talk of problems. This is just a short start in relating the experience of my latest visit to Corregidor Island, the Pacific War Memorial on the former Fort Mills, liberated by the Allied Soldiers in 1945 at the cost much blood and freed from the Japanese Imperial aggressors. There will be more in a few or number of days.
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Post by Karl Welteke on Jul 10, 2018 10:46:42 GMT 8
Sun Cruise’s web page is back up. I noticed yesterday that the web page of Sun Cruises Inc is operating again. I share some of the highlights of the web page as it pertains to Corregidor. I was on the island from the 6th to the 8th of July and made some other observations of the operations of this company. This is the web page: corregidorphilippines.com/Zc245. One can consider this page the Sun Cruise Inc Homepage; notice the drop down links above. Zc246. The Sun Cruise Inc links for the Corregidor Inn over night packages. Zc247. The Sun Cruise Inc links for the Corregidor tour packages. Zc248. The Sun Cruise Inc link for the Corregidor Historical Tram Tour. Zc249. The Sun Cruise Inc uses now this single hull ferry boat to bring visitors to Corregidor. This is the lee side of Corregidor now during the monsoon season and the North Channel is calm here. The boat had to buck a few ocean swells crossing the Manila Bay on their way here from Manila. Zc250. The Sun Cruise Inc uses now this single hull ferry boat to bring visitors to Corregidor; its name is M/V Starlite Juno. It is making its approach to the North Mine Wharf, Bottomside, Corregidor Island, the former Fort Mills, the main Island of the Manila and Subic Bays Harbor Defense Command. Zc251. The M/V Starlite Juno carries about 100 passengers, so four (4) of the Sun Cruise’s trolleys can accommodate them. Today one visitor group was a PNP Officer Class from a Police Academy in Cavite. What happened to the catamaran hull ferry boat that Sun Cruise Inc was using for a long time until recently? Is it broke? Would Sun Cruise Inc get a bigger boat if they could get a long lease for the Corregidor Inn after they spent a fortune to renovate it? Zc252. The swimming pool of the Corregidor has clean water but is still closed. Zc253. The swimming pool of the Corregidor has clean water but is still closed, why? Is there a technical problem or is there bureaucracy problem? On my stay on the island between the 6th and 8th of July the Corregidor Inn only had a few overnight guests. I noticed the meals for the guests are still being cooked in the Corregidor Inn Staff Building at the foot of the hill and are then carried or transported by vehicle to the Inn so the guests will consume their meals in the dining veranda section of the Inn. Dining ones meal at the Corregidor Inn dining veranda area was always an enjoyable experience in the open air and with the grand vista. But the question comes to mind, why, the kitchen in the Inn is complete? Is there another bureaucracy problem?
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Post by Karl Welteke on Jul 5, 2018 17:25:45 GMT 8
VFW Post 11447, Subic Bay celebrates the 4th of July Zc234. The VFW Post 11447 Subic Bay organized again and as usual the 4th of July celebration on our Day of Independents. This year we did it at the Midnight Rambler Beach Club. This is the rainy season and maybe more people would have showed up if it had been a better day. But it was still a good day, Happy 4th of July to all of you. What many people may not think about, a terrible and long war had to be fought against the mighty British Empire at that time to actually gain that independent. We often jack, jack the French; they helped us, could we have done it without them? I posted 5 sample images here. Zc235. One of several images showing the beach, the bay of Subic Bay at the beach side of the Midnight Rambler Beach Bar where our VFW Post 11447, Subic Bay, celebrated the 4th of July 2018. Zc236. One of several images showing the beach, the bay of Subic Bay at the beach side of the Midnight Rambler Beach Bar where our VFW Post 11447, Subic Bay, celebrated the 4th of July 2018. Zc237. One of several images showing mostly our members of VFW Post 11447, Subic Bay, celebrating the 4th of July at the Midnight Rambler Beach Bar. Zc238. One of several images showing the beach, the busy bay of Subic Bay at the beach side of the Midnight Rambler Beach Bar where our VFW Post 11447, Subic Bay, celebrated the 4th of July 2018. In the background, if you look close, a Military Sealift Command Ship (MSC) an oiler is pulling in. They frequently stay in Subic Bay. I uploaded 33 images into this Flickr album: www.flickr.com/photos/44567569@N00/albums/72157695514326202 or look at the 57 images that I uploaded into this Facebook album: www.facebook.com/karlwilhelm.welteke/media_set?set=a.10214086557511658.1073741861.1643946293&type=3Best wishes from Subic Bay Karl
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Post by Karl Welteke on Jul 5, 2018 16:48:45 GMT 8
USS Ronald Reagan departs Manila on the 30th June 2018. Zc233. USS Ronald Reagan departs Manila and steams thru the North Channel between Corregidor and Bataan on the 30th June 2018, photo credit-Mike Ross.
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Post by Karl Welteke on Jul 5, 2018 16:18:31 GMT 8
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Post by Karl Welteke on Jun 27, 2018 21:17:28 GMT 8
Sun Cruises web page disappeared. I had reasons to visit Manila, so I decided to stop at the Sun Cruises Terminal near the Mall of Asia and ask questions. The office staff told me the Sun Cruises web page is under maintenance and will be up again, they did not say when. The Sun Cruises twin hull boat that can carry 200+ passengers is not being used right now. They are using a single hull boat right now which carries about 100 passengers. Neither boat was there during my visit, so no picture. They had brochures and notices available: Zc227. The front side of the Sun Cruises Corregidor Fee Schedule brochure. Zc228. The back side of the Sun Cruises Corregidor Fee Schedule brochure. It was not clear to me how much the fee was if you stay overnight in the Inn and would like to go on the tour. Well there is an entry for joining the tour, which is 600 peso per head. For example you go to Corregidor with your wife or partner, it is 6600 peso for the twin room and 1200 peso for two people joining the tour, total = 7800 peso. One thing that is not on the fee schedule is, if you like to use the ferry service only, for example I go to Corregidor with the ferry, pitch a tent and stay a night or more. That would be a roundtrip fee of 1500 peso. Getting on the ferry is on a standby option only; if no room you are not going and went to the ferry for nothing! Zc229. The Sun Cruises contact numbers for the Corregidor tours and transportation, zoomed in. Zc230. Sun Cruises rainy season Corregidor tour schedule commences on the 21st of June until the 30th Sep. 2018 Zc231. Sun Cruises rainy season Corregidor tour schedule commences on the 21st of June until the 30th Sep. 2018, zoomed in Sun Cruises does have an Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Sun-Cruises-543370555848228/
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Post by Karl Welteke on Jun 23, 2018 17:04:19 GMT 8
Captain Dennis L. Wright, SC, USN (ret) sent me more pictures, about 50 images. Captain Dennis L. Wright, SC, USN (ret) is President and Founder, Peregrine Development International; one of the Founding Board Directors of the US Philippine Society; was Chairman of the Clark Veterans Cemetery Restoration Association; President of the Central Luzon Chamber of Commerce; and Advisory Council, Filipino American Memorial Endowment; and he says that like me he is an amateur American-Philippine Military Historian. He wrote me this: Attached are pictures from the San Pedro Bell Homecoming Ceremony, Mass and Blessing. Also below are some of the links to media coverage. As you can see in the images, the church was packed and the plaza full of as many people as it could hold. It was truly a blessed and wonderful event. The joy, happiness and pride in the faces and emotions of the parishioners were evident. The mass and ceremony were most impressive, also indicative of how much church bells mean to the people of the Philippines. Well done to everyone who helped to make this a reality, rest assured you can take pride in knowing we did the right and honorable thing returning the bell as a gesture of friendship and good will between two strong allies. NBC News – May 25, 2016 (Bell’s Return Summary – McK Editorial) www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/over-century-later-church-bell-seized-during-philippines-u-s-n579596 GMA -7 – May 23, 2016 (Video Clip – Tagalog Narration): www.gmanetwork.com/news/video/370891/newstogo/san-pedro-bell-naibalik-na-sa-simbahan-ng-bauang-matapos-ang-mahigit-isang-sigloCBCP News – May 25, 2016 (Catholic Bishops Conference News Article): newsinfo.inquirer.net/787205/church-bells-115-yr-journey-ends-at-its-home Captain Wright said this is in regards to the photo credits: The photos are in the public domain. Some were taken by myself or with my camera (wife or others using it), and others were taken by the City of Bauang, La Union photographers. There is no problem using any of them, and if you want to give credit, perhaps just indicated from city of Bauang, La Union. All 50 images have been added to this Philippine-Sailor web page: philippine-sailor.net/2018/06/17/the-bauang-church-bell-was-returned-23-may-2016/For this forum presentation I chose these 12 images: Zc179. Zc181. Zc184. Zc192. Zc198. Zc203. Zc208. This is Secretary Delfin Lorenzana of National Defense Zc211. Zc216. Zc220. Zc221. Zc222. The speaker is Captain Dennis L. Wright, SC, USN (ret)
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Post by Karl Welteke on Jun 20, 2018 14:24:43 GMT 8
In this entry I like to honor these three Gentlemen and all their helpers. All three were instrumental in getting the San Pedro Bell returned to the Saints Peter and Paul Church in Bauang, La-Union Even more important they were also the instrumental figures in getting the Clark Veterans Cemetery turned over the people and Government of the United States of America. Zc224. Rear Admiral Dan McKinnon, SC, USN, Retired, I believe he started his active duty in the Navy in 1956 and retired in 1991. I read that in 2016 that he was 82 years young then. He is really a most outstanding individual that in his age he was able to motivate our Representatives and Senators to pass the law to accept responsibility for the cemetery Zc206. Captain Dennis Wright, SC, UCN, (Retired) served 33 years in the Navy. He is now the President and Founder, Peregrine Development International; one of the Founding Board Directors of the US Philippine Society; Chairman of the Clark Veterans Cemetery Restoration Association; President of the Central Luzon Chamber of Commerce; and Advisory Council, Filipino American Memorial Endowment; and he said to me, Karl, I guess, like you, an amateur American-Philippine Military Historian. The Captain and his fellow veterans sent the word about the cemetery and the bell to the people of the United States that this needed to be acted on. Za386. John H. Gilbert, VFW Department of the Pacific Commander in 2017; John was a previous commander of VFW Post 2485. He really took charge of the Clark Veterans Cemetery until it was taking over by the American Battle Monument Commission. This entry is to honor all the VFW Members of VFW Post 4285 in Angeles City, Philippines and all VFW members who spread the word about the cemetery and the bell. One key step in this process was a letter from the Saints Peter and Paul Church in Bauang, La-Union to the Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, West Point NY 10996 November 10, 2015 Lieutenant General Robert L. Caslen, Jr., USA Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, West Point NY 10996 Dear General Caslen; I am writing in regard to a church bell that is presently displayed at the Most Holy Trinity Chapel on your campus with the hopes that you will authorize its return to the church from which it was taken. My name is Father Ronald Chan, I am the Pastor of the Church of Saint Peter and Paul in Bauang, La Union, Philippines. The church of Saint Peter and Paul is one of the oldest in the Philippines. It was established by the Augustinians in 1587. In 1883, a bell named in honor of one of our patron saints, San Pedro, was presented to one of my predecessors, a Spanish Friar named Mariano Garcia who was pastor from 1877 to 1887 by the then Lieutenant Governor Balancio. The inscriptions on the bell as well as our church records and those of the provincial government substantiate these facts. We are not exactly sure how our San Pedro bell found its way to your highly respected school, but we believe it was taken from the church during the Philippine American War and was then transferred to the U.S. by an American Army officer, Thomas Barry. He served here during that same time period. Sometime after his return to the United States he was named the 27th Superintendent at your school. Perhaps your historical data could shed some light on this? As I am sure you are aware, the Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country. As such, the church and its bells are integral to the history, traditions, and the very fabric of each community. There are substantial precedents for this request. Your counterparts at Annapolis and VMI have already similarly done so. In 1987, Annapolis returned a bell which sat outside Bancroft Hall for over 100 years. It was presented to the Academy by Commodore Perry when he returned from his historic trip to Japan. Similarly, another Japanese bell was returned to Okinawa by VMI in 1991. In 2007, Harvard University returned to Russia 18 bells which hung outside of the Lowell House since shortly after the October Revolution. There are others, too numerous to mention, instances of church bells being returned to their rightful owners for good reason. It is the right and honorable thing to do. We sincerely hope and pray that you will honor our request and allow us the opportunity to once again hear the call of San Pedro to our church services. While the early years of the U.S. and Philippine relationship were characterized by hostilities, our countries have since learned to understand one another and become strong allies with a century of shared history. I am also mindful that so many of our senior officers serving in the Philippine Army were graduates of West Point, to include one of our former Presidents, Fidel Ramos. It is with all this in mind that I prayerfully request the return of the San Pedro Bell presently displayed outside the Most Holy Trinity Chapel. Sincerely and Most Respectfully; Reverend Father Ronald Raymund O. Chan Copy to: His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle Archbishop of Manila H.E Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. Ambassador Embassy of the Philippines to the United States 1617 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. Washington D.C. Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio Archbishop for the Military Services Washington D.C. Zc225. Lieutenant General Robert Louis Caslen Jr., the Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, West Point NY answered and granted the request. The bell was returned! Zc226. The letter from Lieutenant General Robert Louis Caslen Jr., the Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, West Point NY answered granting the request to return the San Pedro bell.
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Post by Karl Welteke on Jun 17, 2018 16:50:59 GMT 8
The Bauang Church Bell was returned 23 May 2016 Zc162. For decades this bell hung outside Most Holy Trinity Catholic Chapel at West Point, its history lost and forgotten. A ceremony at the chapel Friday, April 29, 2016, marked the return of the bell to its original home at Saints Peter and Paul Church in Bauang, La Union, Philippines, from where it was taken in 1901. U.S. MILITARY ACADEMY AT WEST POINT Credit: By WYATT OLSON | STARS AND STRIPES Published: April 29, 2016 For your convenience and interest I copied the whole story from Stars and Stripes plus the picture of the Bell still at West Point. This is the URL: www.stripes.com/news/pacific/west-point-returns-bell-taken-from-philippines-church-100-years-ago-1.407085Veterans played a key role in the effort and from them I received 11 images which are also posted here. This is the Stars and Stripes article: By WYATT OLSON | STARS AND STRIPES Published: April 29, 2016 A massive bell that hung at a chapel at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point for decades was rung one last time Friday before being sent back to its home: the Philippines. After a ceremony and Mass at West Point’s Most Holy Trinity Catholic Chapel, attended by the Philippine consulate general, the bell was crated up and readied for return to Saints Peter and Paul Church in Bauang, La Union, Philippines. The bell was removed from the church in 1901 during the Philippine-American War that lasted from 1899 to 1902. Bells were routinely taken as souvenirs, but at times they were removed for a military purpose – to prevent them from being melted down to make weapons. At some point, the bell fell into the hands of Lt. Col. Thomas Barry, who’d been deployed to the Philippines in 1900-01. The West Point class of 1877 graduate, who eventually became its 27th superintendent, gave the bell to his alma mater in 1915. There, it was stored in a church belfry for 44 years before being rediscovered during an expansion in 1959. It was then hung outside the chapel, with a placard that read in part: "Symbol of peace that even the ravages of war could not destroy." The bell likely would have remained shrouded in obscurity if not for two U.S. Navy veterans who have spent the past few years in a quest to return several bells to the Philippines. Dan McKinnon, who lives in Virginia, and Dennis Wright, president of a company developing a portion of the former Clark Air Base north of Manila, met while they were in the Navy. Five years ago, the veterans began working to ensure that the Clark Veterans Cemetery, which had fallen into disrepair, would be maintained by the U.S. federal government. With the success of that effort, their interest turned to attempting to repatriate the famed bells of Balangiga, three bells taken by the U.S. Army from the church in the town of that same name. More than 40 U.S. soldiers were killed during a surprise attack there in 1901, to which the Army responded with a bloody reprisal. That history is still being debated, but what’s known is that two of the bells are now at F. E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyo., and a third is at Camp Red Cloud in South Korea. While researching the two bells during a visit to Wyoming, McKinnon learned that another Philippine bell hung at West Point. "I started talking to West Point all last year," McKinnon said. An inscription on the bells suggested it was from a church Bauang. Intrigued with that information, Wright enlisted the help of two professors from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila to research the subject. Consultation with the church records found that the description of the bell matched the one at West Point. "We said, maybe that bell should go home," McKinnon said. The pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Church sent a letter to the Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen, West Point’s superintendent, asking for the return of the bell, which had been presented to church sometime between 1877 and 1887, according to its records. A couple months later, the pastor received a letter back from Caslen, who concluded, "While we have been honored to guard and display this bell for the past several decades, we would be glad to return the bell to its rightful home." "It’s a no-brainer," McKinnon said. "Now it’s going home. It was that simple." olson.wyatt@stripes.com Twitter: @wyattwolson Zc163. The Bauang Church on the day of the return of the bell from the USA, 23 May 2016. Photo credit- Bauang City and participants. Zc164. US Veterans who helped in the effort to return the Bauang Church Bell on the day of the return of the bell from the USA, 23 May 2016. Photo credit- Bauang City and participants. Zc165. US Veterans who helped in the effort to return the Bauang Church Bell on the day of the return of the bell from the USA, 23 May 2016. Photo credit- Bauang City and participants. Zc166. The San Pedro Bauang Church Bell on the day of the return of the bell from the USA, 23 May 2016. Photo credit- Bauang City and participants. Zc167. The San Pedro Bauang Church Bell on the day of the return of the bell from the USA, 23 May 2016. Photo credit- Bauang City and participants. Zc168. A VIP Speaker at the return ceremony of the San Pedro Bauang Church Bell, 23 May 2016. Photo credit- Bauang City and participants. Zc169. A VIP Speaker at the return ceremony of the San Pedro Bauang Church Bell, 23 May 2016. Photo credit- Bauang City and participants. Zc170. A VIP Speaker at the return ceremony of the San Pedro Bauang Church Bell, 23 May 2016. Photo credit- Bauang City and participants. Zc171. A local native arts group performs for the return ceremony of the San Pedro Bauang Church Bell, 23 May 2016. Photo credit- Bauang City and participants. Zc172. A local native arts group performs for the return ceremony of the San Pedro Bauang Church Bell, 23 May 2016. Photo credit- Bauang City and participants. Zc173. A local native arts group performs for the return ceremony of the San Pedro Bauang Church Bell, 23 May 2016. Photo credit- Bauang City and participants.
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Post by Karl Welteke on Jun 13, 2018 18:03:35 GMT 8
USS Stingray Memorial Inauguration 2007, April 07. This whole article is copied from the Pinoy History web page which is run by one of our very active members Vic Verano. This is the URL: pinoyhistory.proboards.com/thread/28/heroism-luzon-bolomen-retoldVic retrieved from this Inquirer URL but I could not find it any more: newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view_article.php?article_id=62345 By Cristina Arzadon Northern Luzon Bureau Last updated 07:01am (Mla time) 04/25/2007 MANILA, Philippines -- Stories of heroism by Filipino guerrillas and American forces during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in World War II have been locked inside a monument built in honor of the men and women who fought to liberate the country from Japanese atrocities. Crowned with an anchor, the marble stone and pebble marker was unveiled on April 21 in a seaside ceremony in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. The event was attended by war veterans both from the Philippines and the United States. The ceremony also marked the return of the original bolo that Filipino guerrillas used and had found its way to the US after the USS Stingray submarine unloaded assorted weapons for the locals on Aug. 27, 1944. The bolo was said to have been traded by a local to a submarine crew while the war materiel were being unloaded offshore. Veteran Ramon Miranda and two surviving bolomen received the weapon from Stingray crewman Basil Wentworth. In return, the Filipinos handed over a Thompson submachine gun, which was part of the weapons that the Americans brought to the country. The monument was built on the site in Caunayan Bay in Pagudpud where the Stingray beached 63 years ago and unloaded arms and ordnance that Filipino guerrillas used in fighting the Japanese forces in Northern Luzon. Collaborative project The Stingray marker was a seven-year collaborative project among Pol Bautista, Lucky Guillermo and Peter Parsons—all scions of war veterans. Its crown symbolizes the anchor that the submarine dropped off the waters as it left the Pagudpud Bay so that it would not be detected by patrolling Japanese troops. The late Gov. Roque Ablan Sr., an Ilocano war hero, was known to have led a ragtag troop of guerrillas, locally known as bolomen, against the Japanese Imperial Army. They earned the name because they fought the invaders with bolos and sharp bamboo lances that they normally used in tending their farms. Ablan's son, Rep. Roque Ablan Jr., has promised to work on declaring the marker's site a national shrine for Filipino war veterans. Dr. Ricardo Jose of the University of the Philippines' history department said the Stingray was one of 21 US submarines on special missions to the country to provide arms and war equipment to the resistance movement across the archipelago. "The landing of the submarine was very, very dangerous. It (Stingray) landed here very early in the morning in Japanese-controlled water," Jose said. "There were Japanese ships coming by every now and then and the Stingray was caught between the open sea and the shore by Japanese ships. It was not able to lift its anchor [after dropping it] because it would cause too much noise." The anchor still lies offshore in Caunayan, Jose said. "Local fishermen found it," he said. The submarine, however, succeeded in unloading six tons of armaments. On board along with US forces were 15 specially trained commandos led by Lt. Jose Valera, who were sent to help local troops. "These [armaments] had to be brought from the submarine by raft or by boat. Once they were ashore, they had to be brought into the mountains where the other guerrillas would receive and use [these] to fight the Japanese," Jose said. The bolomen were the key in transporting the materiel from the shore to the mountains undetected, he said. Aside from land mines, bazooka, Carbine rifles and bullets, the Americans also brought the latest Life magazine either to counter the Japanese propaganda or to indicate the date of the latest landings, Jose said. "Other materials included communion wafers, Mass wines, and pamphlets just to boost the morale of Filipinos," he said. Most dangerous According to Jose, Pagudpud was considered the farthest and most dangerous landing that the 21 submarines made across the Philippines. Unlike the other landing sites in the Visayas and Mindanao, Northern Luzon was risky because it was next to Taiwan, a strongly guarded Japanese territory, he said. "Most of the Japanese convoys would be sailing from Taiwan to Luzon and these straits were infested by Japanese ships," he said. The war exploits of Filipino guerrillas in Northern Luzon are stories that have not been fully told. "With the memorial, we will be recognizing the submariners, the Filipino guerrillas and the landing forces for the role they played in liberating the country," Jose said. At this point I like to add five pictures that came from this SPYRON-AV Manila Facebook page. Three of these people made this memorial possible. Two gentlemen I know personally and I hope they consider me a friend. The third person I do not know and I am not sure that I have the correct image of him. Note: these pictures are not from the inauguration, they are from a later event at the memorial; a floral offering at the USS Stingray Memorial, Caunayan Bay, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte last February 8, 2014 This is the URL: www.facebook.com/pg/Spyron.AVManila/photos/?tab=album&album_id=700970466591994Zc157. The Stingray marker was a seven-year collaborative project among Pol Bautista, Lucky Guillermo and Peter Parsons—all scions of war veterans. The left person is Lucky Guillermo, Peter Parsons is in the middle, the 3rd person is Pol Bautista Zc158. This is Lucky Guillermo at a wreath laying event at the USS Stingray Memorial in Ilocos Norte in 2014. Zc159. This is Peter Parsons at a wreath laying event at the USS Stingray Memorial in Ilocos Norte in 2014. Zc160. This gentleman is Pol Bautista, the 3rd person who is responsible in making this memorial possible. Zc161. At the wreath laying event at the USS Stingray Memorial in Ilocos Norte in 2014 our own EXO was present and the lady is maybe the Public Relation Officer from the US Embassy. Maybe the EXO can clarify all these questions.
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