Many of us still remember how the war came to our country, how the Japanese bombed strategic places in the Philippines a few days after their sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, how they landed on our sacred shores, and how they routed the combined American-Filipino defense forces. We also heard how the defenders held out through the long months of ceaseless fighting (in Bataan and Corregidor) despite the shortage of supplies. This armed conflict was a life-and-death struggle for supremacy between two opposing ideologies.

We can still remember that in the year 1941, the Japanese set foot on our land with the overall purpose of subjugating the whole Far East under the guise of "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere." Terrible scenes of misery, poverty, sickness, and death are still vivid in our memory; of how we panicked when we heard that the Japanese were coming. Since we could not resist the Japanese, we retreated to our hiding places in the mountains.

The municipal government passed several ordinances preparing the people for emergency bombings. There were practices for "black-outs" (no lights at night), and air raid drills were conducted with public participation. When rumors of the approaching enemy became rife, the people began to dig foxholes under their houses to serve as their shelters during the expected bombings. They gathered their entire families and they lived together.

The municipality formed an organization of men called voluntarios (volunteers). They served as walking radio by informing the people of the recent news — sometimes false and fabricated — about the war. Curfew was observed from eight o’clock in the evening to four o’clock in the morning.

The people tried to save money and spent just enough for food. Nobody continued to cultivate his farmland because of the approaching war. Sea transportation to the other provinces also became scarce, as the boats that usually called at Biliran wharf did not come anymore.

Many families evacuated their valuable belongings to the mountains to hide them from the dreaded enemy (the Japanese). Everyday there was news that the Japanese were coming nearer and faster. The people were horrified when they heard rumors about the brutal killings of civilians. There was excitement and anguish in the faces of people.

The schools were closed and the students enrolled in Manila, Cebu, and Tacloban were recalled home by their parents. Day in and day out, the people were ready to run to the mountains. They just waited for the voluntarios to report that the Japanese had arrived in the province (Leyte).

Business in the town was paralyzed. Most of the small stores were closed because nobody wanted to buy from them or they had nothing to sell. There was scarcity of food and viands. The fishermen seldom went out to catch fish for they were always with their families for any emergency.

The businessmen hoarded their goods. Some went into hiding in the mountains. Some people had to sacrifice one meal everyday to have enough for future use.

The most terrible news that the people heard was the bombing of Cebu City. They were certain that the Japanese were already in the Visayan sea.

Before the Japanese soldiers came to town, the residents could already see Japanese planes flying over the town. Most of the inhabitants fled to the mountains because the guerrillas had ordered them to evacuate to their hideouts.

On November 11, 1942, the barrios of Burabod and Busali were bombed by Japanese airplanes. Two persons were killed and one was badly wounded. After this bombing, almost all the residents of Burabod, Busali, and the poblacion evacuated to the mountains. But some brave people continued to live in the town.

On November 27, 1942, the expeditionary forces of the enemy arrived in town early in the morning. The residents displayed Japanese flags in their homes to win the favor of the enemy. Many people gathered at the wharf to meet the Philippine Constabulary (PC) soldiers who landed first. The people were exceedingly happy when they saw that the armed men were all Filipinos.

Then the second group landed. They were all Japanese soldiers. They paraded around the town. The residents then realized that the PC soldiers were allies of the Japanese.

At first, the residents were thankful that the arrivals were not all Japanese. They thought the PC soldiers would be of great help to them. But they soon realized that these Filipinos (the PC soldiers) were the ones who imposed heavy punishment on the people.

On December 5, 1942, at around eight o’clock in the evening, the Japanese occupation troops arrived in Biliran. They entered the town when there was a benefit dance sponsored by the Cofraternity of La Purissima Concepcion.

The Japanese soldiers surrounded the school building where the dance party was being held. Then three Japanese with fixed bayonets in their guns entered the dancing hall and ordered the people not to move. The men’s pockets and bodies were inspected thoroughly to see if they were carrying weapons with them. They were not allowed to go out of the room, where they were detained until eight o’clock the next morning. Several women cried because of hunger, and some others were anxious about the small babies and children they left at home.

The detainees were supposed to be released only upon the representation of the town mayor. However, Mr. Alberto Enage (Sr.), the mayor during that time, had already escaped to the mountains. Mr. Eugenio Nierras, the ex-mayor, took his place. The Japanese put up Mr. Nierras as mayor of the town. He was a brave man and the Japanese respected him.

The municipal building was made the headquarters of the Japanese. Then a barbed wire fence was erected around the town. But the people could still go out by passing through the river. Then there followed an order that nobody was allowed to go to the mountains, and that those who had escaped to the mountains were advised to stay in the poblacion or else they would be considered enemies of the Japanese.

From day to day, the Japanese became friendly with the local people. They tried both peaceful and terrible means to convince the people to fight against the Americans and to cooperate with the new form of (pro-Japanese) administration.

After most of the inhabitants had returned to the poblacion, the Japanese introduced a new form of government. There was the so-called "Neighborhood Association," formed by dividing the people into groups according to the name of the street where their house was located. For every group, there was an assigned leader whose duty was to organize men to be posted every night in strategic places of the town. The purpose was to notify the Japanese about the presence of guerrillas.

Each leader was also responsible for the daily attendance of all his members to be present for the "bushido system," popularly known as "radio taicho" (mass morning exercise held at the public plaza).

There were strict orders issued to the people, the violation of which would mean instant death of the violator. There was curfew and blackouts every night. The Japanese soldiers activated all kinds of propaganda to wean the inhabitants from their loyalty to the Americans and the guerrillas, and to gain the collaboration of the people.

They tried to reopen the elementary schools. All the teachers were ordered to teach without compensation. But the teachers fled to the mountains and the schools were closed due to lack of pupils. The civilians were frequently barraged with fluent Japanese propaganda promising them a life of self-respect and comfort.

The Japanese occupation of the town may be divided into three phases:

The early days were characterized by military cruelty compounded by the normal exuberance of the conquering army, which tested the patience of some friendly residents.

Shortly afterwards, a new activity followed. The Japanese resorted to a design to integrate the town into the "co-prosperity sphere" by winning the people’s friendship. They paraded around the town to show their military capability. And in the plaza, they practiced their militaristic maneuvers to the people.

The third phase was characterized by days of hysteria that immediately began after the landing of the American Forces in Leyte.

All the Japanese soldiers stationed in San Isidro, Kawayan, Naval, and Calubian gathered and concentrated in the town of Biliran. They took drastic and more rigid measures against the people. This was intensified by the "hit and run" warfare of the guerrillas. To top it all, there were already leaflets telling the people that Gen. MacArthur had returned.

On October 30, 1944, the Japanese soldiers, with all their belongings, left the town of Biliran for Tacloban at midnight. They rode on two big motor launches covered with big branches of different trees. This was the last day of their stay.

(The departure date, October 30, seems inaccurate. Mr. Nakajima’s "early August" approximate of his company’s departure from Biliran town is probable, and supported by an informant who said the Japanese left Biliran before the American landing.)

After the Japanese were gone, the people rang the church bells, happy that their hated enemies had left.

Some people who did not like the Japanese militaristic administration went to the hills and joined the guerrilla movement. Some others helped surreptitiously by providing money or food to the guerrillas and reporting about Japanese military movements. And there were those who killed some Japanese soldiers who strayed outside the town. (The last sentence seems inaccurate. Mr. Nakajima claimed no Japanese soldier was killed in Biliran Island throughout the tour of duty of his company here.)

It was unsafe for the enemy to walk in the neighboring barrios. But the resistance movement could not also fight the Japanese soldiers face-to-face because of their inferior arms. Still, the guerrillas carried on the bitter struggle against the invaders.

On September 30, 1944, the guerrillas from the south (Leyte mainland) arrived. There were four companies under the leadership of Captain Cresencio Corpin, a native of Biliran. They already had American firearms, but they were in civilian clothes. The town was surrounded by these guerrillas. One company was assigned to watch the Biliran Strait for Japanese boats that would pass through this narrow strait.

The guerrillas were quite successful in guarding the narrow strait. On October 25, 1944, a Japanese motor boat passed through this strait at around four o’clock in the afternoon. The leader of this company, Lieutenant Macas, and his men opened fire at the Japanese boat. The enemy shot back but the guerrillas were safe behind the big rocks and stones lining the shores of this narrow passage.

(The Japanese "motor boat" described above might have been "two mast sailboats" confiscated by Japanese soldiers stationed in Maripipi from Andres Bacolod. The historical data paper of Maripipi mentioned that these two sailboats were used by the Japanese soldiers, who were ambushed by the guerrillas in Biliran Strait. All the Japanese soldiers from Maripipi were reportedly killed.)

There were also around 500 unrecognized guerrillas under Captain Batitik (Botictic) of Jaro, who arrived one midnight in town. The acting municipal mayor, (Cipriano) Rosillo, asked the help of the people to feed these 500 men. They placed improvised tables in the plaza for the visitors.

The local residents tried their best to satisfy the visitors, because they had already experienced the bad treatment of the guerrillas (perhaps for their "friendly" attitude towards the Japanese?). After two days of stay, the guerrillas proceeded to the town of Naval in different groups. Some walked along the seashore, the others hiked in the hills toward Naval.

On October 20, 1944, the liberation forces under Gen. Douglas MacArthur landed in the eastern part of Leyte. The news was known because there were American planes that dropped leaflets telling that the Americans had returned.

There was great rejoicing in Biliran town. Day in and day out, the people saw many American planes flying over the town. Many people returned to town and began to live normally.

The town of Biliran was fortunate enough that it was not bombed by American planes.

On November 15, 1944, the people of Calubian and San Isidro took refuge in the town of Biliran because of the heavy (Allied) bombing of the Japanese who retreated toward their areas.

In San Isidro, five Japanese warships landed, but these were attacked and sunk by American Mustangs (fighter planes). In turmoil, the people of San Isidro evacuated to Calubian and Biliran.

The people of Calubian also evacuated to Biliran because some Japanese from San Isidro were reported to be fleeing towards their town. The refugees were transported by American barges.

The town of Biliran was packed with people. Some of the refugees went to the neighboring barrios.

Since the refugees did not bring food with them, there was dire need of food everyday. Many families ate twice a day or sometimes only once a day because there was no more supply. Yes, they had money, but the people who had the goods did not like to sell their rice and corn even at sky-high prices. The whole town was a nightmare of chaos and corruption. And many people were ragged and hungry. Had it not been for the Americans goods, many would have died of starvation.

Upon hearing word that San Isidro and Calubian had been liberated by the Americans, the refugees returned to their respective towns. Many did not return at once for fear of the Japanese. But when the American barges started to transport the refugees, many followed for they were sure that the Japanese had been defeated.