I was later on transferred to the Filipino Headquarters to become a file clerk after I met Capt. Mariano Gonzales from Bucay, Abra there. He was the Chief Files and Storage Officer, Hq. P.A. in Manila, and we knew each other there before the war. He gave me an ID and a Pass to look […]
Archives for September 2017
1994 Memoir – 109. Another Miracle Of Grass Detail
After a week I was again startled by a commotion and voices outside our quarters one early morning. I got up and saw trucks to be boarded by the Grass Detail. I waited until they started boarding, when I boarded one of the trucks together with the other POWs. We were headed for the railroad […]
1994 Memoir – 108. The Miracle Of San Antonio
(Pat related this story after I got released) When Pat failed to see my name among surrenderers published in the paper and magazine in Manila, she went to the City Hall and to the Red Cross. My name was not in their list of surrenderers. And she started wondering if I and my brother could […]
1994 Memoir – 107. The Miracle Of The Grass Detail
One early morning while it was still dark, I was awakened by a commotion outside of our quarters. I went out to investigate. There I saw POWs going into formation as an officer called a roll. I joined the formation, not knowing what it was all about. My name was not in the roll. Officer […]
1994 Memoir – 106. Unusual Food For P.O.W.’s
As we grew more and more hungry, we ate anything that could be eaten inside the C.C.C., including the bark and roots of the “Alibangbang” trees after all their leaves were cooked for food. Grasshoppers, ants, and lizards were included in our individual meals. One day I witnessed a water buffalo killed and cooked for […]
1994 Memoir – 105. Lining Up For Food
In the morning when the big iron rice cooker called “CAWA” was repeatedly sounded with the beating of a big metal spoon, we woke up for our breakfast, consisting of rice and “coffee.” Actually our coffee was roasted rice boiled soft, which we also ate as we emptied our cup of coffee. I used to […]