Corregidor Island: The ruins of WWII

The ruins of the Mile Long Barracks (Photo courtesy of Emilia.Pedrito)

I shall return!

Words from Gen. Douglas MacArthur when he left our beleaguered country. Mine too, when I left Corregidor. I will be back to see more of the place. One day is definitely not enough to soak in history in this place considered to be a war memorial.

  

The statue of Gen. Douglas MacArthur at Lorcha Dock where he uttered his famous I shall return statement.
(Photos courtesy of Emilia Pedrito)

I remember sitting in front of the television during one of our Christmas holidays and watching a DVD of HBO’s miniseries Band of Brothers. It was such a compelling and remarkable work that I was glued in front of the screen for hours watching Easy Company train and take action in the US European campaign during the World War II.

I also remember listening to discussions of Philippine history and descriptions of the Death March from Bataan to Tarlac plus memorizing dates and data for exams and quizzes.

For a long time, WWII in my head are characters from televisions, photos from books and recollections of stories from old folks back home talking about how helicopters would airdrop food supplies and them having to scramble to pick them and return into hiding. There were also stories of Japanese soldiers taking over municipalities and requiring the locals to provide crates of sweet potatoes daily for the soldiers.

My visit to Corregidor brought everything in perspective. WWII is no longer something that happened on TV nor is it just pictures and dates. It made the stories I heard real.  WWII did happen and people lost their lives. Our country was devastated.  You go around the island and you see all the ruins,the bunkers, the bomb craters, evidence that it happened right on our doorstep. Even the several batteries are riddled with bullet marks.

Entrance to Malinta Tunnel where Filipino and American soldiers hid from the Japanese soldiers. Douglas MacArthur ahd his headquarters here and at one time Manuel L. Quezon also moved the seat of the Philippine government in one of the lateral tunnels. (photo courtesy of Lea Degay)

Inside Malinta Tunnel. Photo taken during the Lights and Sounds show. (photo courtesy of Lea Degay)

A lateral tunnel within the Malinta Tunnel (photo courtesy of Lea Degay)

A diorama of the makeshift hospital put up in one of the lateral tunnels within the Malinta tunnel. President Quezon's was quartered  nearby due to his lingering tuberculosis. (Photo courtesy of Lea Degay)

The other entrance to the Malinta Tunnel (photo courtesy of Lea Degay)

WWII was not only destructive. It was way too much expensive. Listening to Jen, our tour guide, detail  how much each artillery battery cost left me dumbfounded. Millions of money, not in pesos but in dollars, were spent for just one battery. To think that there were thirteen of them in Corregidor alone. All that resource to destroy and kill, it is simply unimaginable for me. It could have fed the whole country for years.

Battery Crockett (Photo courtesy of Emilia Pedrito)

Artillery in the Japanese memorial (Photo courtesy of Lea Degay)

Battery Way (Photo courtesy of Emilia Pedrito)

Baterry Grubbs (Photo courtesy of Lea Degay)

Worse, the war cost us a lot of lives. All the passion spent for a cause could have been redirected to something more productive. In Corregidor alone, thousands of soldiers- Filipinos, Americans and Japanese alike- died. All in name of freedom and love for country. Several memorials were put up for them. Hopefully, these memorials will give us a constant reminder that the freedom we enjoy today was not handed in a silver platter. It was hard earned with the blood and suffering of the valiant soldiers and their network of supporters. Power struggles will always be there and we need to remain faithful to our country and to what our heroes fought for.

Japanese War Memorial (photo courtesy of Lea Degay)

The dome within the Pacific War Memorial. It is actually open from the top and at noontime, every 6th of May which is the day Corregidor surrendered, the sunrise falls directly on the altar beneath the dome.  (Photo courtesy of Lea Degay)

A sculpture of two comrades, an American soldier helping his wounded Filipino companion. (Photo courtesy of Lea Degay)

The Flame of Freedom by a certain Greek artist commissioned by President Marcos. It is found within the Pacific War Memorial (Photo courtesy of Lea Degay)

Corregidor is there to constantly remind us of the facts of war. One friend has been convincing me to go there. I am glad I finally did with my lagalag partners who took care of all the bookings and the arrangements. Thanks also to them, I have photos of the trip, one of the many benefits of travelling with a group. To my credit, I did bring my camera. Stupid as it sounds, I just forgot to charge the battery.

I shall go back to the place. There is just so much to see and so much to learn . It is one of those places where I reckon one discovers something new during each visit..

GOOD TO KNOW

There are two ways to get to Corregidor.

One way is to book a tour with Sun Cruises, reservation has to be done before the trip. Check in time is an hour before the trip but for those taking the weekend tour, try to be there earlier. We were there by 6:40 and there is already a long queue.

The ferry terminal at Manila Bay (Photo courtesy of Emilia Pedrito)

We took the guided tour option which covers the ferry travel to and from the island, tour of the island onboard a tram with a tour guide, and buffet lunch. This is exclusive of the 30 Php terminal fee at Manila Bay. For those who are going to the island for the first time, I recommend the same option. It is well worth it.  Taking the tour with Sun Cruises is as simple as booking and then bringing yourself early to the Esplanade Seaside Terminal at the SM MOA Complex. They take care of the rest for you.

The Sun Cruise ferry, this was taken at the wharf in Corregidor (Photo courtesy of Emilia Pedrito)

The trams for the guided tour (Photo courtesy of Emilia Pedrito)

The other way is to start off from Bataan. This is more of a DIY travel. My friend did the number crunching and found that it actually costs more and it has more hassle. It could also be worth trying.

Useful information we got at Corregidor for those who want to start off from Bataan. I have not tried it so I cannot vouch for it.