Rugeria, Javier Leonardo V. 2023. “Evidence of Active Resistance against the Japanese before the Fall of Corregidor: The Case of Luzon, 1941-1942.” The Journal of Philippine Local History and Heritage 9 (1): 182-220.

Abstract

This article interrogates Teodoro Agoncillo’s oftcited argument in the second volume of The Fateful Years (1965) that Filipino active resistance against the Japanese began only after the Fall of Corregidor on 6 May 1942. Documentary evidence however—evidence Agoncillo himself cites—suggests otherwise. By examining three key guerrilla units in Luzon, namely the Ablan Madamba Guerrilla Forces of Ilocos Norte, the Tangkong Vaca Guerrilla Unit of Camarines Sur, and the Filipino-American Irregular Troops of various Tagalog provinces as well as their respective network and breakaway guerrilla units, I present counterexamples to Agoncillo’s claim and argue that the formation and operations of these resistance units as early as December 1941 render his claim untenable. Finally, I make the case that what Agoncillo may have considered as “active resistance” included only those that have been part of the organized resistance and fought on after Corregidor fell, those units who have been granted guerrilla recognition by the United States, or those inducted into the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE).

Keywords: Teodoro Agoncillo, Ablan-Madamba Guerrilla Forces, Tangkong Vaca Guerrilla Unit, Camp Isarog Guerrillas, Filipino-American Irregular Troops (FAIT)