“I Shall Return” is arguably the most memorable phrase uttered by Gen. Douglas MacArthur as he escaped the pursuing Japanese forces in the Philippines during World War 2.
Said during his arrival in 1942 in Australia, he would fulfill this promise more than 2 years later and return with over 100,000 Allied Forces to start the liberation of the archipelago in what would be known as the Leyte Gulf Landings.
To mark this historic event, the Province of Leyte is mounting the 80th Leyte Gulf Landings Commemoration with the theme “Yesterday’s Heroes, Today’s Inspiration for the New Generation”
“This year is a milestone observance, and the provincial government is pulling all stops to make it a very memorable way of honoring the war veterans who made this day forever etched in world history,” says Leyte governor Carlos Jericho Petilla.
He added that it is a constant reminder to the peoples of the world to pursue peace and renounce war to ensure stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
The governor also chairs the commemorative event’s executive committee, along with provincial tourism consultant and former Palo Mayor Frances Ann Basilio-Petilla.
On 17 October Guiuan, Eastern Samar memorialized the raid on Japanese forces in Suluan Island which paved the way for the establishment of a large US naval base prior to the landings.
That evening, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) and The Nightingales, under the baton of Maestro Herminigildo Ranera serenaded the public with OPM and Filipino folk songs, popular classics, and wartime melodies.
Tolosa observed Signal Day on 18 October, which relives the exploits of 30-year-old Boy Scout Valeriano Abello and his friends Antero Junia and Vicente Tiston who helped US warships redirect their artillery to Japanese positions with his semaphore skills, and spare the town’s population from shelling.
Dulag town will recreate the hoisting of the American flag on 19 October at Hill 120 by Lt. Clifford Mills of the US Army’s 96th Infantry Division, the first time it was raised on Philippine soil after the US surrendered in 1942.
It will be followed by the official opening of the Rawis Community Museum and wreath laying at the Capt. Isao Yamazoe Shrine, and a peace concert in the evening.
Morever, the Palo municipal government will welcome special guests and dignitaries at a gala dinner on the eve of the Landings.
The big day unfolds on 20 October with a Sunrise Ceremony of the Filipino Veterans, and the main anniversary program where the surviving war veterans will be honored, and will be attended by foreign diplomats and military attaches.
The past comes alive in the “Road to Leyte”, a 20-minute reenactment of the landing of MacArthur and the Allied Forces, the gunfights with Japanese at Hill 522 in Palo, and the turnover of the Philippine Commonwealth to then President Sergio Osmeña.
“For the first time since the Leyte Gulf Landings 50th anniversary in 1994, the Province is mounting a reenactment production to provide the historic narrative a visual inspiration for the present and succeeding generations,” Petilla enthused.
It will be followed by the opening of “War of Our Fathers: A Brotherhood of Heroes,” the traveling exhibit of the Philippine Veterans Bank.
The observance concludes with a marching band competition, group mime contest, closing ceremony and Sunset Serenata with the Philippine Army 8th Infantry Division Band, and a grand fireworks display.
Major events take place at the iconic MacArthur Leyte Landing Memorial Park in Palo, which was redeveloped by the provincial government for the event.
Other sidelights are the Miss Leyte Liberation, Hiscupex philatelic stamp exhibit, a film festival of Filipino World War 2-themed movies, a tourism and historical photo exhibit, and a forum on lesser-known wartime triumphs.