WWII DIARY OF

COMMODORE RAMON A. ALCARAZ

JUNE 1942

June 5.1942. I am surprised to learn today that my high school mentor in Math is among the American POWs in Cabanatuan. He was seen by a relative tending a group of carabaos in a Cabanatuan rice mill, pulling carts loaded with rice supply for POWs. Let me pay tribute to this great hero named Aaron Kliatchko. He was a Russian Jew, native of Belarus, migrated to US in 1907, enlisted in the Corps of Engineers, saw action during WW I under Gen John J. Pershing in France, later assigned to Corregidor in 1919 as a Master Engineer to build Malinta Tunnel. When his enlistment expired, he joined a US Engineering Co in Manila (Atlantic Gulf & Pacific Co) that constructed various projects in the Phil. One such project was Angat Dam and Irrigation System wherein Kliatckko was the project engineer with the center of activities in my hometown, Quingua, Bulacan. Being a bachelor, he boarded with the Garcia Family that resulted in his marrying my relative Vicky Cervantes. He decided to build his residence next door to our ancestral home. e was 35 when he got married to Vicky, 22, in 1922. In 1932, he retired from Atlantic Gulf Co, purchased 50 hectares of riceland in Quingua and Bustos and become a gentleman farmer while raising a family of nine.

Engineer Aaron Kliatchko became my mentor in Math during my high school years since 1932 and continued till 1936 when I took the exam for PMA. Am informed that after WW II started, he felt that beause he was a former member of the US Army and a US citizen, it was his duty to join us in Bataan. And so in mid-March 1942, he managed to go to Bataan during the lull period, via a rented motor boat from Malolos. A few weeks later, Bataan surrendered, was taken POW, joined the Death March and Concentrated in Camp O'Donnell until he was transferred to Cabanatuan. As a farmer since 1932, he is good in handling carabaos and I am not surprised of his assignment by the Japanese. What surprised me is why he joined us in Bataan at age 55 when he could have been detained only in Santo Tomas as an American civilian national. For me, my former mentor is a patriot, a hero. He helped build Malinta Tunnel, Angat Dam that supplies fresh water to Manila and the Irrigation System that covers the farmlands of Bustos, Quingua, Guiguinto, Pulilan, Bigaa and Bocaue enabling the farmers to harvest rice twice a year.

June 10,1942. This is my 62nd day as POW in Malolos Camp. Today, for the second time since last month, Judge Roldan shared with me for a few minutes, contents of a secret one page underground news tabloid "Free Philippines" with short wave radio foreign news summary. The first one he shared with me in the confines of his quarters last month was about what I considered a fantasy story I did not believe. It tells about the alleged bombing of Tokyo by a group of bombers led by a certain Gen James Doolittle that came from Shangrila, according to Pres Roosevelt. I thought that was a cruel story as the enemy have superiority of the air and sea at Western Pacific area where there is no Shangrila. I thought its purpose was to boost the very low morale of the US public after our Bataan humiliation.

This time, the news from the Judge seems believeable. It mentions about a supposedly great air and sea battles in the Midway Island area between US and Japanese naval forces that started June 3 and lasted four continuous days and nights resulting finally in the withdrawal from engagements of the Japanese Naval Forces after three of their Aircraft Carriers were sunk, three battleships badly damaged and a dozen others damaged. The US admitted the loss of one Carrier USS Yorktown, and destroyer USS Hammon. If this news is even half true, it will be very bad ultimately for Japan whose ability to replace their losses is very inferior compared to the industrial capabilities of USA.

June 16,1942. The Malolos Women's Club under the leadership of Mrs Cristina Magsaysay Cuenca continues to help the Malolos POWs. As mentioned before, when they found out that we were sleeping on bare cold concrete prison floors during our early days here, they lost no time providing each of us mattresses and other beddings including mosquito nets. Today Mrs Cuenca accompanied by her able assistant, Miss Luming Flor R Cruz (whose brother, Perico, is graduating from West Point this month) visited us. I learned from them that they have already made two trips each to Camp O'Donnell and Camp Cabanatuan bringing medicine. They told us the deplorable conditions of POWs at O'Donnell where daily deaths are reported at 400 to 500. Other Ladies Group leaders performing similar civic assistance to POWs at Camp O'Donnell Mrs Cuenca mentioned are Mrs Josefa Llanes Escoda, Mrs Pilar Hidalgo Lim (wife of Gen Vicente Lim) and Miss Lulu Reyes, a prominent social worker of Ermita well known to OSP student officers of Class '41 that boarded with her.

And so today, let me salute all our courageous and patriotic women for all their effort to help our POWs where ever they are.

June 20,1942. Today, being a Saturday, Bulacan Gov Emilio Rustia attended the weekend evening Mass with us at POW Camp Malolos. After the services by Fr Lipana, I invited him in my office to express my gratitude for his medical officers effort taking good care of our sick. There are no casualties so far in this POW Camp, we even increased in number by three since our arrival last April 10.

I had a most enlightening private conversation with the governor about Realism and Idealism. He started saying peace and order in Bulacan have virtually returned to normalcy and this is confirmed by reports of my relatives in Plaridel. He had recommended to Japanese Authorities for the opening of classes in all schools. He said, after a secret meeting of all elected municipal and provincial officials early last Jan, they unanimously decided to collaborate with the new masters as a realistic strategy to serve our people because if they did not, the Japanese would have appointed other individuals who were not elected, inexperienced in public service with selfish ends. He claims their collective strategy appears working as they have good rapport with the Japanese and obtaining conditions in Bulacan looks good. For one thing, we have nothing to complain about as POWs.

Gov Rustia cited the case of the island of Panay, particularly the province of Iloilo whose elected Gov Tomas Confesor and his Municipal Mayors chose the Idealistic Strategy of not collaborating to appear patriotic and courageous by trying to fight back. The Japanese appointed a medical doctor Fermin Caram as Governor and his followers who were not duly elected as Municipal Mayors with the result that the Japanese landed thousands of troops to hunt down Confesor and his followers and the entire island still in turmoil. Gov Rustia believes Confesor's decision to be idealistic does not serve the good of his people due to lack of logistics and trained military of his own. When Pres Quezon designated his Exec Sec Jorge Vargas to head a group to collaborate with the Japanese before he moved to Corregidor, that was realism.

I thank the governor for that enlightening conversation and after he left, it occurred to me that I also committed the same idealistic notion as Gov Confesor when I threw my PMA Class Ring at sea (a foolish thing I did) when I was surrounded by the enemy and realized I was a POW. How I longed for that ring that gave me inner strength when I wore it.

June 25,1942. Today I got good and bad news. The good news from Mrs Cristina Magsaysay Cuenca is that according to reliable information from the Japanese Adm, with their new policy to get the good side of our people, will begin releasing sick Filipino POWs at Capas by the end of this month. I requested her to ask Gov Rustia to inquire if we are not included in this release policy as we also have 'several sick' POWs in Malolos Camp and she promised to do that.

The bad news is from the underground "Free Phil" latest issue saying that after the fall of Tobruk in Africa, the British Forces were badly beaten and pushed 60 miles from Libya to Egypt by German Forces under Gen Rommel with 25,000 British taken POWs. This news is, however, offset by the announcement that Maj Gen Eisenhower has assumed command of the US Forces in the European Theater of operation signaling a decision to open a second front in Europe.

June 30,1942. Per my request, Mrs Cristina M Cuenca, Malolos Women's Club President, asked Bulacan Gov Rustia to find out from the Japanese Adm if the Malolos POWs are not included in the announced "benevolent Filipino Sick POWs Release Policy".

Early this morning, Gov Rustia and Mrs Cuenca visited Malolos POW Camp to inform us of his findings. He said that, according to the Japanese Adm, all Filipino sick POW releases will be done only in Capas and the first batch is scheduled today. He, therefore, suggested that if we want to take advantage of the release policy, that we request for transfer to Capas.

Because even our friend, Mrs Cuenca, agreed with the suggestion of our good governor, as the senior officer of our group and on their behalf, I requested that we be transferred to Capas, Tarlac where the rest of our POW comrades are being held. The governor promised to transmit our request for transfer to the Japanese Authorities concerned.