Contrary to popular belief, Presidential Proclamation No. 430 (1989) designates March 18 of every year as Victory Day of the Islands of Panay and Romblon.
While it may not be a significant issue whether it is called Victory Day or Liberation Day, for me, the intent of the said Presidential Proclamation is very clear: it recognizes the final assault of the Sixth Military District against the remaining Imperial Japanese forces and the landing of American troops in Tigbauan, Iloilo.
It also honors the guerrillas from all walks of life—unsurrendered USAFFE soldiers, nurses, doctors, teachers, engineers, students, farmers, fishermen, and countless civilians—who found courage amidst chaos to fight against the Imperial Japanese forces.
Panay was largely liberated by February 1945. The 66th Infantry Regimental Combat Team, led by Colonel Valentin Grasparil of Antique, fought valiantly, and his men paid the high price of freedom at the Battle of Balantang in Jaro. By then, only pockets of resistance remained in the cities of Iloilo and San Jose, Antique. Capiz, on the other hand, had been liberated as early as December 1944.
When the United States Army’s 40th Infantry Division (Sunburst) arrived, they only needed to clear the remaining pockets of Japanese resistance holding out in several buildings in Iloilo City.
It was the guerrillas led by Colonel Macario Peralta, the civilian resistance officials under Governor Tomas V. Confesor, and the people of Panay and Romblon—not the Americans—who principally ended the Japanese occupation of the islands.
It is time to change the rhetoric. We should recognize the sacrifices of both the guerrillas and civilians who, with courage amid uncertainty, continued the fight after the Americans surrendered Panay Island in May 1942. While we should not forget the assistance of the Allied forces in the liberation efforts, we must give credit where it is due.
