By Erwin Bonifacio
Just like the poem by Christina Rossetti, When I Am Dead, My Dearest, which says in one line:
When I am dead, my dearest,
Sing no sad songs for me;
Plant thou no roses at my head,
Nor shady cypress tree.
This poem resonates with people who wish for a simple burial without glamour such as the recent burial of Pope Francis.
In Capiz, I would say it applies to Colonel Leopoldo R. Relunia, the second-in-command to General Macario Peralta Jr. during their resistance against the Imperial Japanese occupation of the Philippines from 1942 to 1945.
Leopoldo Relunia, a native of Oas, Albay, was a civil engineer by profession. He was called to service by the Headquarters of the Philippine Army (HPA) in 1941 and later inducted into the service of the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE). He was assigned to the 61st Division in Panay.
When the 61st Infantry Regiment, 62nd Infantry Regiment, and 61st Division Field Artillery were deployed to Mindanao to counter the Japanese landing, Relunia, together with Peralta, became part of the core group of Filipino officers who organized the 63rd, 64th, and 65th Infantry Regiments on Panay Island.
When the Japanese landed on April 16, 1942, and the 61st Division headquarters was relocated to Mt. Baloy, Colonel Relunia, the Division’s Chief Engineer, implemented various defensive measures. One of these included laying several booby traps along the Tagbacan trail, the main access route from the poblacion of Lambunao, Iloilo to their division command post.
In May 1942, General Albert F. Christie surrendered American-Filipino troops in Panay due to the situation in Corregidor, following the order of Lt. General Jonathan Wainwright. However, Relunia and his corps of engineers refused to surrender to the Japanese forces.
On July 1, 1942, the Second War Council convened at Lt. Colonel Relunia’s command post in Barrio Inadlawan, Dueñas, Iloilo. During this crucial meeting, military leaders unanimously decided to fully organize the guerrilla forces on Panay Island, which would collectively be known as the 61st Division or more popularly as Free Panay.
As part of the initial steps in forming the 61st Division (Free Panay), provincial commanders were designated for all provinces on the island. Among the ranking officers selected was Lt. Colonel Relunia, who served as the provincial commander for Iloilo.
Throughout the war, credit must be given to Relunia for all the work and effort he undertook. Peralta crafted the policies, but it was Relunia who handled the technical execution.
When Colonel Relunia passed away on July 6, 1991, unlike General Peralta, he was not buried at the Balantang Cemetery National Memorial Shrine in Jaro, Iloilo City. Instead, his remains, along with those of his wife, Clarita Zaldarriaga, were laid to rest in the ossuary of the Immaculate Conception Metropolitan Cathedral in Roxas City.
This ossuary now holds the bones of a colonel who was once feared by the Japanese and loved by the guerrillas.
Similar to the grave of Pope Francis that only had the epitaph Papa Franciscus, Colonel Relunia’s humility shines through. His tomb simply bears his name: Leopoldo Relunia. What a humble man.
