Occupation: 1942-1945

by Benito Legarda Jr.

The Japanese Occupation of the Philippines during World War II looms large in our country’s living memory. And yet due to a lack of awareness and education, as well as a concerted effort by certain sectors to minimize and deny Japanese war crimes, many today seem to be in danger of forgetting what our people endured during those three years. Esteemed historian Benito Legarda Jr.’s writings on this period of our history, consisting largely of columns from the Philippines Free Press and the Philippine Daily Inquirer, were previously published in book form as Occupation ‘42 and The Later Years. This new edition gathers these acclaimed collections into a single volume, along with additional never-before compiled articles, to create a definitive omnibus. Occupation 1942–1945 is not presented as a comprehensive history of the Occupation. Rather, it adopts an informal journalistic approach, acting as as a narrative of events and their effects on the lives of individual Filipinos. These include the author’s own experiences and those of his family and friends, as well as meticulous research from diverse published memoirs and eyewitness accounts. Articles are arranged roughly in the chronological order of events, following the changes in civilian life brought on by the outbreak of war and enemy invasion, the sullen uneasiness of occupation life, through the gradually rising hopes from distant battlefronts where Allied forces began to reverse the tide of Axis conquest, to the high price in lives, heritage, and property that the Philippines paid in 1945 to regain its freedom. With this book, we immortalize the mundane, day-to-day struggles, the quiet moments of defiance, as well as the nigh-unthinkable atrocities and horrors and the dizzying elation of war’s end. In remembering these darkest of times, we also remember the light that shone through—the resilience, bravery, compassion, and nationalist spirit that carried Filipinos and their allies through the war.

480 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2016