Because they are considered as the strongest fighters in the province, Doni and Gilbert's troop were send to Luzon to fight. Being in the new place without connection and unfamiliar place for their troop it had been dangerous for the soldiers. The worst came to an end when they were send to the Bataan Peninsula to their headquarters because two days after their arrival to luzon, on April 9,1942, Major General Edward P. King surrendered to General Masaharu Homma, because many of the soldiers were sick and injured, with limited source of budget for foods and lacking of war equipment such as guns and bullet, they were promised to be treated fairly. Doni, Gilbert and their troop had been part of the massive evacuation plan or what they called as "death march" that started on april 10,1942.
" What will happened to us?", Gilbert whispered to Doni.
" I don't know", Doni whispered back.
" It's better if we insist on staying in the province!", Gilbert said repentant why he decided to be sent to luzon.
" It's too late, we're already here", Doni said.
" I pity our troop, I am already hungry and very thirsty," Gilbert complain.
" Just imagine that you are full of water and food, this is the best time to ask God to help us to bear this ordeal", Doni said.
" I'm very thirsty," one of the men of Gilbert complained.
" I'm not feeling well", one of Doni's men complained, the two commanders don't know what to say just like their men they are also thirsty and hungry.Walking for three days with only one meal a day eating rice only, is this the fair treatment that General Homma promised to them?.
" Please can you give us water?", one of the filipino soldiers asked one of the japanese
soldiers walking in a tropical heat the whole day will really makes one dehydrated. The japanese soldier spoke in a harsh voice and after a while he stab the filipino soldier with a bayonet. Some of the filipino soldiers react upon seeing their fellow killed beside them, they too were killed by stabbing of bayonet or gunshot. One of the soldiers resisted marching because of the inhumane treatment they are experiencing, he was beheaded infront of everybody, some soldiers used improvised litters to carry their dead comrades at camps.
" Upon seeing that, the troop of Gilbert and Doni keep their pace.
" Just imagine we are full of food and water", Doni encouraged his troops just to be able to bear the heat , exhaustion, hunger, thirst and many more hardship.They started walking from Mariveles Bataan, a forced march north to San Fernando then taken by rail in clamped and unsanitary boxcars farther north . Prisoners marches long distances under heavy guard and in extremely harsh condition. Japanese soldiers mistreated most of the filipinos and u.s. troops, many were brutally killed. During the death march, whoever fall of exhaustion were killed.In their march they were provided little rice to eat once in a day which is not enough to sustain them, but more than a thousand had already died because anybody that walks slowly were also killed, beside of those who falls because of exhaustion, dehydration and hunger some were already sick. They marches for six days and the japanese soldiers used the different former u.s allied headquarters one of it was camp O'Connor Donnell, as a concentration camp to detain their prisoners, they traveled for eighty five miles for six days with only one meal of rice a day. Those who survived the death march were detained in previously u.s. camps which the japanese converted into concentration camps.
It was actually the largest surrender in american history because about seventy five thousand filipino and americans were captured. They were separated in different concentration camps. While in camps they discovered that some japanese soldiers practiced cannibalism, they eat flesh of soldiers and civilians, they are cutting flesh from living captives to eat. Many died of malnourishment,diseases such as malaria, exhaustion,physical abuse, or was executed.
" Today april 9,1942, The major general Edward King and his men of about seventy six thousand surrender to general Homma,," the news was all over radio and in print since the first day.
" The soldiers were provided with good utilities,foods and hospitalization they were in good hands", according to the words of Gen. Homma in the radio which of course are all lies.
"Dad, don,t come here anymore, we need to escape tonight", Danny warned his father, after Doni was captured and in a death march he know that he and his father was in a danger too, he put the letter for Mr.Sanchez in his father's pocket. Everyone that comes out of the garrison were heavily checked because of the suspicion that there is a traitor inside of the garrison because they were always ambushed in their operations. Doro, when he noticed the very rigid check , decided to eat the piece of paper, the letter for Mr. Sanchez.
In the middle of the night, Danny and his wife with their daughter decided to escape the garrison, they pass through the back, they had to break the fence of the garrison, into the sea going to Iloilo by the help of a fisherman Danny had commisioned earlier for their escape. There in iloilo, they lived until the war is over, luckily most of the japanese soldiers from the province were sent to luzon to help guard the many prisoners they have, so the province of Negros gain its mild peacefulness because japanese soldiers raids lessen. There were little left to fight against the now guerilla movements composed of military left in the province and civilians who had helped the soldiers protect the province. Doro, stayed with his wife and children in the mountain, they can't came back to their home unless the war is over.
As for Doni and Gilberts troops,, the arrival of the japanese soldiers from the province in their prison posed another danger.
Because upon hearing that some of the soldiers were from Negros, brought another danger, they were forced to dig big holes in the ground far from the concentration camp, then they were forced to jump into it and told to lie down, because Doni and Gilbert were the commander incharge of their troop, they were the first to jump in ,then all of the members of their troop were also force to jump down lying at the top of them, then they were stab by a bayonet the painful groan of their men as they were stab break their hearts. So hurtful that they are crying hard. When the sounds of being in pain subside and the voice of the laughing japanese soldiers were gone., Doni still lie down until Gilbert called his name he tried to move his head in the direction of Gilbert's voice. His men were getting heavy as if he couldn't even move his arm or body.
" Doni?", Gilbert's voice.
" Gilbert?", Doni's voice.
" How d'you feel?", Gilbert ask.
" I'm fine, just couldn't move because they were so heavy.", Doni answered.
" Me too," Gilbert said.
" Com?", another voice they heard.
" Mike?", both Doni and Gilbert were delighted there's one left in their men. anyway
he is in the middle of Doni and Gilbert.
" Are you hurt?", Doni ask mike.
" No, I'm not, I'm fine, just some bruises",
Mike answered.
" I think me too,"Doni said and Gilbert also agreed.
" What are we going to do com?", Mike asked.
" It's getting darker now, we need to get up, and escape from here", Gilbert said.
" That's right", Doni and Mike agreed.
The three helped each other to be able to come out of the big hole. They were very happy when finally they are safely out of the big hole by assisting each other.
" Maybe this is what they are doing to those they bring out of the camp",Doni said.
" So this is their killing field,I guess", Gilbert assume.
" Maybe,you're right", Doni and Mike agreed.Luckily the three had survived the fate of being buried alive.
there are people who inspite of their poor condition had been willing to help the three soldier, they confessed the ordeal they experience from the japanese soldiers.. They were sent back to Negros Occidental, by the help of the fisherfolks that let them be on their boat to go back to their province,
they join their former troops to fight against the japanese but this time they are more cruel, there is no pity in their heart, they were called guerillaThey had fought for longer years and they were still based in the mountains and jungles of Negros Occidental. Doni cried everytime he remembered what happened to his troop, he couldn't forget their cries and moan of pains.
" Son please,forget the past and move on", Maria adviced her son.
" How I can do that mom, we are there in that hell of those devils that cause painful death to all of my men", Doni said
He kept on talking about the fate they had suffered while they were under that camp.
" I pity those who had been left, for sure many of them were dead by now", Doni said.
None of his men had been able to come back.
" But Homma said, you had been provided good facilities, medicine for the sick and foods", Doro told his son.
" When did he say that?", Doni asked.
" Right after the surrender of the soldiers", Doro said.
" They were all lies!!!!", Doni said.
" son please don't be angry at me, I am not your enemy",Doro told his son.
" So sorry dad, but what I experienced keep haunting me in my dreams", Doni explained.
" I understand what you feel, it's okay to be hurt, to remember your men and used that as a motivation to fight", Doro finally said.
" I will kill them all when I get the chance", Doni warned. Everytime they have an ambush operation, the anger of Doni slashed out to their enemy, he do not leave unless everybody were dead, sometimes Mario had to stop him to be able to leave, he is like an insane man on the lose. Everytime he saw a japanese he wants to kill them immediately..
" Son you're becoming a heartless criminal and that is scary", Maria said when she had the chance to talk to him.
" I can 't stop myself for hating them mom", Doni said.
" Son, they are still human, why not give them a chance to survive, if they were injured okay, just leave them that way", Maria said.
" No mom, we are not humans for them, they do not treat us the same way", Doni replied the hatred he felt for the japanese soldiers never subside only intensifies.
" I'm scared that because of your hatred toward them you can never moved on and have a proper life for yourself. Be the thankful for the chances God has given you to be able to surpass death in an extra ordinary way", Maria said.
" Mom, I think I can just get over this when we already won this fight and we had peace in our land again", Doni answered..
" That might take a little longer son, as for our situation right now", Maria said.
" It doesn't matter for how long mom, as long as I have the strength to fight I will do it until the war is over", Doni said.
" My son, always keep in mind that there is God, he is the healet of the land", Maria said, she's hoping that one day her son will listen to their advices.
" Don't worry, I beleive you mom, every words you say is important to me, but for now all I want is to fight for you, for our family, for our country I feel like I'm going crazy everytime I think that we are not free to do what we want." Doni explained to Maria.
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