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RPH CHPTR11

Tatay Nicasio Aranas is an 86-year-old Filipino survivor of World War II who risked his life as a runner for a guerrilla movement in his hometown of Bauan, Batangas and later worked in Japanese-controlled airfields in Manila. He witnessed horrific atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers against Filipino civilians, such as mass killings where people were stabbed and had their throats slashed, and the burning of villagers alive in a church. Life under the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945 was a constant struggle with food shortages and uncertainty, as Tatay Nic and others could only focus on daily survival with no security for the future. His first-hand accounts continue to a

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Elena Garcia
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31 views

RPH CHPTR11

Tatay Nicasio Aranas is an 86-year-old Filipino survivor of World War II who risked his life as a runner for a guerrilla movement in his hometown of Bauan, Batangas and later worked in Japanese-controlled airfields in Manila. He witnessed horrific atrocities committed by Japanese soldiers against Filipino civilians, such as mass killings where people were stabbed and had their throats slashed, and the burning of villagers alive in a church. Life under the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945 was a constant struggle with food shortages and uncertainty, as Tatay Nic and others could only focus on daily survival with no security for the future. His first-hand accounts continue to a

Uploaded by

Elena Garcia
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CHAPTER 11

Number 1 :
Nicasio Aranas, or “Tatay Nic” as he is fondly called, is an 86-year-old World War
II Filipino survivor. A native of Bauan, Batangas City, he survived the war risking his
life as a runner in a guerrilla movement in his hometown and working in the
Japanese-controlled airfields in Manila. His stories on surviving nearly three years of
atrocities during the occupation and witnessing the fierce fighting in the Battle of
Manila, which liberated the Philippines from the Japanese, continue to be a source
of wonder to his family and friends. Tatay Nic was not nearly 15 on Dec. 8, 1941,
the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, which signaled the entry of the US
in the war. The day seemed like just another school day in his hometown. He
walked barefoot to school, about a mile away from home. Just as he got there, he
realized something was wrong. Tatay Nic found the aerial battles between the
Japanese and the Americans amusing. The little boy that he was, he climbed trees to
witness the terrific air fights over Batangas Bay. “Yung dogfight,” he recalls, “parang
sa sine. I’m shouting pero takot ka na kasi nagpapatayan sila.” Soon after the
bombings, life for Tatay Nic and everyone else became unbearable. They all had to
run for shelter each time they heard the siren, but for Tatay Nic, it was a little more
difficult: “Sa amin walang bundok, sa mga liblib lang ng pook. We would go into
foxholes or underground shelters. You would see people were all scared.”
Then the killings came. Tatay Nic recalls with great horror townsfolk—women and
children included—being rounded up by a river, each of them slashed, stabbed and
killed with bayonets, their blood gushing into the river, making the village’s water
supply undrinkable. Tatay Nic recounts a time the Japanese soldiers rounded up
villagers inside the Bauan Catholic Church and burned them alive inside.
For those who survived, fear for their safety was soon compounded by fear of
starvation. The food shortage took a turn for the worse soon after the Americans
surrendered to the Japanese on May 8, 1942.
Tatay Nic recalls how the fleeing forces tried to commandeer food supplies, forcing
locals to survive on sweet potato (kamote) and coconut (niyog) in lieu of rice.
Life under the Japanese Occupation for nearly three years was a time of great
uncertainty, says Tatay Nic. There was no future to live for. He only thought about
how to survive the present. “You cannot work and save dahil baka ’di ka na
magkaroon ng bukas. What you get, you eat. Pasalamat ka sa Diyos buhay ka.”
Number 2 :
"Dusk: A Novel" by F. Sionil Jose is a poignant and powerful work that delves deep
into the human experience of war. Set during the Japanese occupation of the
Philippines in World War II, the novel follows the story of Istak, a young man who
joins the Hukbalahap guerrilla movement to fight for his country's independence.
From the very beginning, Jose's writing is striking in its emotional intensity and vivid
detail. He paints a vivid portrait of life under occupation, capturing the fear,
uncertainty, and brutality of war with unflinching realism. Yet despite the novel's
unrelenting focus on the horrors of conflict, it is also a deeply human story that is
driven by the characters' struggles and relationships.
At its core, "Dusk" is a novel about resilience and the power of the human spirit to
endure in the face of great adversity. Istak and his comrades face tremendous
obstacles and danger at every turn, yet they are driven by a fierce sense of patriotism
and an unshakeable belief in their cause. Jose does an excellent job of conveying the
complex motivations and conflicting emotions of the characters, making them feel
like fully realized individuals rather than mere archetypes.
Throughout the novel, Jose's prose is both elegant and unpretentious, conveying the
complexity of the story in a straightforward and accessible manner. He skillfully
weaves together themes of politics, history, and personal identity, creating a rich
tapestry of ideas that never feels heavy-handed or didactic.
In short, "Dusk: A Novel" is a masterpiece of Filipino literature and a must-read for
anyone interested in the human experience of war. With its vivid characters,
evocative setting, and powerful storytelling, it is a book that will stay with you long
after you've turned the final page. Highly recommended.

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