| "On the afternoon of December 6 [1941], I held an inspection of the 26th Cavalry, A Battery of the 23rd Field Artillery, and one pack train on the thousand-yard parade ground at Stotsenburg. They were the extent of my units at the fort. I turned in about eleven o'clock that Saturday night, and I had many occasions later on to remember that I got a good night's sleep. It was the last decent sleep I was to have for three years and eight months." |
| -General Jonathan M. Wainwright |
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from his book, General Wainwright's Story |
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"... news reached us that the enemy had followed closely upon our heels as we entered Bataan, hit the Layac junction defensive line with vigor at dawn, and cracked it, driving our best troops back onto the Mt. Natib line. The 23rd Field Artillery Battalion of the Scouts had been overrun when the infantry gave way; it lost its guns and ceased to exist as an organized unit." |
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From his book, The Naked Flag Pole Battle for Bataan
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On March 11, 1942, around the time General MacArthur left for Australia, Felipe and Enes's youngest daughter, Leonarda, not yet 10 months old, died.
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On April 9, Felipe surrendered with his unit, under the orders of Major General Edward P. King. At Camp O’Donnell, a nephew, also a prisoner, asked him to escape with him. He declined saying that he was “awaiting orders.”
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Camp O'Donnell - The American Side
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Camilo Ubaldo: Our mother learned of our father's incarceration in Camp O'Donnell from soldiers from our village. The soldiers had managed to escape from Bataan and O'Donnell and were back in our village. Upon learning this news, Mamong (Mama) desperately wanted to go and locate our father at the concentration camp in Capas, Tarlac. |
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Herminia Ubaldo: There were others from our village, like Mamang (my mother), whose husband or son was in Camp O'Donnell. These wives and parents, all together about 15, decided to go together as a group to Capas, Tarlac. They leased a couple of calesa (horse-drawn rigs) to take them there. Each had to pay 500 in Japanese money for the two day journey. During WWII in the Philippines, the money during the Japanese occupation was not called "yen" but just Japanese money--because in no time they were worthless. Mickey Mouse money was probably more of value. Mamang meticulously planned what to take along with her. She made "linapet" a rice sweet cooked in coconut milk mixed with sugar and then wrapped in banana leaves in the shape of long, fat cigars and then steamed. She also brought along "bucayo" (coconut brittle), dry molasses molded in coconut shells, pindang (dried meat similar to jerky and regular rice. Then my mother separated what she meant to give to the Japanese guards and wrapped them separately. The ones intended for my father were wrapped in a"balutan" a large handkerchief women in our village use. |
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Camilo Ubaldo: When Mamang's party finally arrived at Camp O'Donnell everyone went their separate ways, searching for their loved ones. They were not allowed inside but they were allowed to walk around and against the fence. As they walked the perimeter of the fence, they would called out the names of those they were looking for. Papang's (father's) nickname was Eping, so as Mamang desperately searched, she would call out: "Eping! Eping! Where are you, Eping?" After some time, Papang answered: "How did you get here? Who came with you?" Mamang replied, "I am here with a group from San Nicolas. Here, I brought you some food." Upon seeing all the food Mamong had brought, Papang said, "You do not have to leave all the food to me. I might be released soon." Mamang: "When?" Papang: "Oh, maybe within a week, not longer than a month." It was a miracle that she was able to locate him. Mamang returned to San Nicolas with hope in her heart. But than a month passed and Papang and others from the village, had still not been released. Mamang and others who were still waiting for the return of their loved ones, decided to return to Camp O'Donnell.
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Herminia Ubaldo: This time the rig owner did not want Japanese money. He wanted to be paid 20 pesos in one centavo ( 1/2 a cent) coins. The calesa owner did not expect that the group could get the the coins. Those who had the most combined their resources. Mamang was able to go back to Capas, to Camp O'Donnell. Only this time, the Japanese guards would no longer let them near the prisoners.
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| As reports of the
conditions at Capas [Camp O'Donnell] reached Pangasinan, the efforts of
concerned officials were directed to the amelioration of the Pangasinan-born
prisoners of war (POWs) in Capas. Blas F. Rayos and Maria Magsano
headed a deligation that went to Capas in September to work for their
release. It was not until early October, however, that the first
prisoners of war were released. These were first brought to the
Pangasinan Provincial Hospital at Dagupan to be treated for their various
illnesses. Maria Magsano organized a Social Service Club among the
women to provide food while Jorge Coquia and Ermin Garcia formed a Thorns
and Roses Club, among former college students out of school to present
plays for the entertainment of the released POWs.
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From Pangasinan 1901-1986: A Political, Socioeconomic |
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and Cultural History |
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By Rosario Mendoza Cortes |
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In October, Enes and her children learned why Felipe had not yet return home. Jose Herrera, a soldier and town mate had the unpleasant task of informing Sgt. Ubaldo's family of Felipe's death September 4, 1942 at Camp O'Donnell, Capas, Tarlac. |
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| Herminia Ubaldo: How did she
raise the money to visit my father at Camp O'Donnell? When I look back,
I'm amazed myself on how we were able to survive. She was very
resourceful, energetic and a workhorse. She was not artificial,
and I think that's why my father right away wanted to marry her. When my
mother took us all (four children including the baby, Leonarda, who died)
to the province, we lived with my mother's mother, Maxima Hermano Tambag,
who herself was a widow by then. My mother was 31 when she was
widowed and when she made that first visit to the prisoner of war
camp. She and my Grandmother made and sold pottery to earn
money. My mother did this until we started receiving VA benefits
which was not be until the late 1940s'--the earliest would have been
1947 or 1948. She depended on other relatives to transport the clay
pots & water jars to market either in our town or another. I
think the Filipino extended family structure allowed us to survive. My
mother could either ask her side of the family or my father's side for
assistance.
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Herminia Ubaldo: The wall that lists my father's name at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial is quite high and to make sure I got a good picture, I took several shots where his name is etched. I have a tendency to move when I am taking photographs and I have to admit that I have taken pictures that cut off people's heads. But this time, I wanted to be sure I'd get my subject. I had to have - UBALDO, FELIPE SGT 23 FA REGT (PS) PHILIPPINES. |
Enes Ubaldo
