PEACE-MAKER
Last Jan. 9, 2025, the people of Dagupan City, led by the indefatigable Mayor Belen T. Fernandez, commemorated a pivotal moment in our nation’s history – the 80th anniversary of the landing of General Douglas MacArthur in Dagupan City, Pangasinan, during the final months of World War II. This historic event was not only a turning point in the liberation of the Philippines but also an indelible chapter in the story of our beloved city.
There is still a debate among historians where the great World War II General actually landed in the Lingayen Gulf area but we are certain he stormed ashore our hometown Dagupan as confirmed by the fact that he set up a command post at what was then the Economics Building of Dagupan Elementary School, now known as West Central Elementary School, where we studied.
As we have mentioned in our earlier columns, we actually saw the legendary American general. We were then nine years old. The sight of him, with his commanding presence, remains etched in our memory. We also remember that we were then getting lots of chocolates from American soldiers since we spoke grammatical English and could give them directions or point out certain locations.
We still vividly remember, too, that for days leading to the American landing, US warships bombarded the areas in and around Dagupan. American planes droned overhead and excited Dagupeños waved at them from the ground. A good number were killed or wounded perhaps because the US ships offshore did not know that the Japanese soldiers had already fled eastward to the Mountain Province.
General MacArthur’s temporary headquarters in Dagupan, which restoration was spearheaded our son, Congressman Christopher, and which we now fondly call the “MacArthur House” has since been declared a cultural heritage site, a testament to its profound historical significance.
The MacArthur House stands today as a silent witness to those extraordinary times. It is a symbol of courage, resilience, and the enduring partnership between the Philippines and the United States. It reminds us of the heroism of the soldiers and the indomitable spirit of the Filipino people who endured unimaginable hardships during the war.
On a sentimental journey to the Philippines 15 years later, in 1961, MacArthur, considered by Filipinos as the “Liberator of the Philippines,” rode the train from Manila to Dagupan. We were then Manila Bureau chief and Philippine correspondent for Pan-Asia Newspaper Alliance, an Asian wire news agency, and a weekly columnist on Asian affairs in the Philippines Herald.
The great general, then 81 years old, also spoke to a million people at the Luneta Park by the Manila Bay, in front of the historic Manila Hotel, scene of one of the fiercest battles in the liberation of the Philippines.
In addressing the Filipino people, he said, in the now immortal words, “I must say with a sense of sadness that the deepening shadows of life cast doubt on my ability to say once again, I shall return.” General Douglas MacArthur died three years later, in 1964, in Washington, DC.
Eighty years later, the legacy of Jan. 9, 1945, continues to inspire. It calls upon us to cherish our hard-won freedom, to preserve our cultural heritage, and to pass on the stories of our past to future generations. Let us never forget the sacrifices that shaped the destiny of our nation.
As we commemorate this anniversary, let us honor not only the memory of General MacArthur and the Allied forces but also the countless Filipinos who gave their lives for the cause of freedom. Dagupan City indeed played a crucial role in the liberation of the Philippines and remains a reminder of our nation’s unyielding resolve in the face of adversity.
Dagupan will always stand proud as the city where history was made, where a nine-year-old boy saw a hero, and where freedom’s torch was reignited for all of us.