Philippines' Resistance: The Last Allied Stronghold in the Pacific

by Stacey Anne Baterina Salinas, Klytie Xu, Diren Yardımlı (Illustrator)

The people of the Philippine Islands during the early half of the twentieth century experienced various waves of Western Imperialism, two wars of attempted secession from western powers, and two world wars. And yet, the Philippine Islands and its people have received only small subheadings in many American textbooks and histories. The wartime experiences from the perspectives of the Philippine people have gone unnoticed and have become overshadowed by the socio-political dominating legacy of American figures like General MacArthur, leader and historical symbol of the Pacific Theater during World War II. MacArthur’s famous phrase “I came through and shall return” are etched into every facet of World War II historical narratives, textbooks, and monuments that pay tribute to the Allied forces in the retaking of the Pacific from the Japanese. But It is the lesser known people and leaders of the Philippine resistance against the Axis powers whose efforts and contributions allowed for the effective and speedy return of MacArthur’s military forces. The Philippine guerrilla resistance consisted of a diverse cast of Filipino men and women, ethnic and indigenous minorities, American and European immigrants and soldiers, young and old, rich and poor, from farmer to politician. The various units of Philippine guerrillas, their tactics, military resources, and vigor to survive and end the Japanese maltreatment of the Philippine peoples paint the Pacific Theater from 1941-1945 as desperate, dark, and bloody for Asian communities throughout East and Southeast Asia. But their resourcefulness, cooperative efforts to collaborate and network with MacArthur across the South Pacific, and their massive grassroots liberation movement directly point to the remarkable value that the Philippine Underground Resistance proved to be in aiding the Allies’ ability to retake the Pacific. For four years, Filipino guerrillas faced battles and scenarios on over fifteen islands that make up the 7000 islands of the Philippine Archipelago where the odds of having both military strength and resources were not in their favor. But with unrelenting hardiness and hope to end the Japanese occupation, the Filipino guerrillas from island to island weakened the military presence of the Japanese throughout the Philippine Islands making the Philippines the last Allied stronghold of the Pacific.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

171 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Heena Rathore Rathore-Pardeshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philippines' Resistance by Stacey Salinas is an enlightening look into the forgotten world of WWII.

This book was short, succinct and well presented. It was an impressively informative book. The images given in the book were very engaging and proved to be quite helpful in comprehending the text in its entirety. It was a good experience to know more about the place where the Second World War took place.

The writing was good and the descriptions quite clear. In spite of not having a lot of knowledge on the subject, I found the book to be very interesting. I'd recommend to all the history buffs and WW2 enthusiasts.

You can also read this review at my link text

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but informative read about a geographical area of the Second World War that does not receive much in the way of publicity.

[Galit Balli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philippines’ Resistance was a very illuminating and educational book to read. It shows about the true heroes of the WWII in the Philippines, and just by looking at the gorgeous cover, you see the power and the will of the people.

This book showed how these heroes fought for survival and freedom and fought for others in those horrible times. It's a short but well-written book, full of captivating images that helped a lot to connect to the history and to the people in the book.

The book showed the history through the locals eyes and those who fought for the land, and how they had to survive and what they needed to do, in order to overcome the horrors of the war.

It was a powerful book to read and very knowledgeable, I was really loving the information on a place I know very little of, and gave me the chance to learn more about this beautiful land and about the power of the people.

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[The Reading Bud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philippines' Resistance by Stacey Salinas is an enlightening look into the forgotten world of WWII.

This book was short, succinct and well presented. It was an impressively informative book. The images given in the book were very engaging and proved to be quite helpful in comprehending the text in its entirety. It was a good experience to know more about the place where the Second World War took place.

The writing was good and the descriptions quite clear. In spite of not having a lot of knowledge on the subject, I found the book to be very interesting. I'd recommend to all the history buffs and WW2 enthusiasts.

You can also read this review at my link text

[Kira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need to read more about everything that has happened over there - I feel I should know more.