
The Philippine Army (PA) held a ceremonial flag-raising activity inside a school situated at Camp Tinio in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija on Monday, Feb. 10, in commemoration of the establishment of the Maniquis Field, an army airfield that played a significant role during the World War II.
The Army’s Aviation Regiment said the flag-raising at the historical marker of the Maniquis Field inside Camp Tinio National High School was a symbolic moment as it honors the historical significance of the army airfield and its contribution to the military's legacy.
Established on Feb. 1, 1941, the Maniquis Field in Barrio Bangad became one of the major airfields of the Philippine Army Air Corps (PAAC), the air component of the PA which eventually became the predecessor of the Philippine Air Force (PAF).
The Maniquis Field was part of Camp Tinio which was one of the major training camps and mobilization centers of the Army. The army airfield was named in honor of Lt. Eliseo Maniquis, an army aviator and a native of Gapan, Nueva Ecija.
The Maniquis Field became the base of the PAAC Advance Flying School, 6th Air Base Squadron, 7th School Squadron, and the 10th Bombardment Squadron – which were all under the command of Major Pelagio A. Cruz.
Cruz headed the units after the World War II erupted in 1939.
At one point during the war, the military airfield was “bombed daily” from Dec. 8 to 22, 1941, according to the Army Aviation Regiment, but Cruz fought with his troops until the very end, the fall of Bataan. He later became the first chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) from the PAF before retiring as a three-star general in 1962.