Teresa MagBanua Part 10 - As It Had Been
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1941 was not a good year for Teresa Magbanua, or it likely was not, given how the year would close and how its contents would spill over into the years that were to come after. On the other hand, the ones that came before could have been great years. We’ll never know for sure, but odds are they probably weren’t. Or at least, they were ripe with miseries. The prior war had been unforgiving. Teresa had been left grieving both her brothers and potentially the many brave soldiers she may have gotten attached to during the war. And her marriage could have been strained, but regardless, it would never be what it could have been. And all for what? A gradual turnover of power. Certainly not the one she wanted and not moving as quickly as it should have. And then again, maybe she did not like the government that was being raised around her. Maybe she had her own vision of what the new Philippines could have been. On the latter two things, we can’t be sure. But her life was marked by grief and transformation: grief for what was lost and the transformation of the world around her.
But independence was in reach. 1946 was the agreed upon year, and at that point, there was no reason to think the United States would back down or postpone this transfer of power any longer. So everything would be fine, right? That’s what everyone wanted to believe, but that was assuming that this was entirely up to the US. And it was not. No action ever happens in a bubble, as they say, and some... actors come with reputations and potential enemies that may become the actual thing in time.
The causes of the second World War, even in the Eastern theatre, need to covered in their own podcast. Such a history defining event needs to be understood, simple as that. But I don’t have the ability to do that here. In this context, it would be enough to say that Japan invaded the Philippines, initially in December of 1941, ten hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
So at the idea of a Japanese invasion, you might have expected the United States to respond immediately in the Philippines’ defense. But really, they could not. Not with that timing. The American fleet had been extensively damaged after the attack on Pearl Harbor, which gave the Japanese forces numerous advantages in the beginning, enough for Japan to get a head start and successfully entrench themselves deeply enough into the islands that it was only the outright surrender of Japan that could get them out. US forces had to initially retreat from the islands as limited and stretched out resources had to be redirected in other ways.
Now, that is not to say the US fully abandoned the Philippines. Far from it. They did what they could do, but what they could do never resulted in the full removal of Japanese forces from the Philippines. What they could was mostly support work or providing material support, more accurately.
And yet, despite this… less than ideal backup, Japanese forces never managed to hold control of more than 40% of the Philippines at any one time. This containment was because of the Philippine resistance forces, who took advantage of the difficult terrain, maintaining control of the jungle and mountain areas by using their familiar and highly effective guerilla tactics. Or this new generation used the familiar and highly effective guerilla tactics perfected by those who came before.
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Dear listener, if you aren’t keeping track of the timeline, at this point, about forty years had gone by since Teresa Magbanua’s surrender and this moment. It didn’t matter what she or her husband may have wanted to do, she wasn’t in a position to join the fight anymore. Alnd aso, he really couldn’t stop her. Not to be too cold or blunt about it. Teresa Magbanua’s husband Alejandro Balderas would die shortly after the invasion. As I said in the beginning, the miseries of 1941 would last beyond the year for Nanay Isa. The exact timing of her husband’s death is largely unclear and unrelated. What did it matter that he wasn’t around to stop her? She couldn’t go off to fight.
Then again, though, she still had a fighting spirit about her. She still had a patriotic impulse. And--to be frank--she still had some means. Maybe even more as a widow.
War did not put a strong stop on trade or commerce, after all. Everyone still had needs, desired supplies, and goods they could sell. And really, in times like that, reimagining your economic system just isn’t something you necessarily have time for, appeal of it aside. But having a foreign power invade and then occupy your nation creates inefficiencies and a hole through which critical resources can fall through. Suddenly the need for liquid assets became much higher. As a means to an end, yes, but it was a critical end. And that was the sort of thing Teresa Magbanua could supply. The older and somewhat frail Nanay Isa began selling her personal belongings to purchase food and supplies for those who were still able to fight. But three years is a long occupation and a longer defense against an occupation. So after those funds ran out, it was the farm and all her property in Iloilo that was sold. All sold as a fundraiser for the war effort: an effort that was, in time, successful. The United States won World War II, and that was when Japan pulled out of the Philippines. By the end of 1945, all Japanese had left the islands. And life went on afterwards. Including full Filipino independence. On July 4, 1946, despite the damage that had been caused by the war, the dream was finally realized, and it was met with great joy and fanfare.
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Teresa Magbanua did live to see this dream. For a short while. Though of the time she did have, who is to say how joyous it was. For all her efforts, she was personally left with very little to show for it, but with no children to inherit her nothingness--or close to it--that all mattered very little. At the end of the war, Teresa Magbanua moved to Mindanao at the end of the war with her sister Maria. There, she lived quietly, seemingly already having been forgotten by the rest of the world. The exact date of her death is not even clear. It happened in August 1947, but the exact date was not recorded. There were no formal announcements, and her burial was attended only by close friends.
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In death, her legacy has been modest. Her courage and service is known, but the details are not. There are streets named after her in Pototan and Iloilo City, and there are awards given out in her name, particularly to honor outstanding teachers and those who fight for the rights of women and children: those things that encapsulate her spirit in a form of… Well, veneration by another altar. She even has a feast day of sorts. October 13th--her birthday--is officially Teresa Magbanua day in Pototan, as of 2006 anyway.
And now, there’s even these podcast episodes, and maybe more such content in the future. Stay tuned.
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This has been a production of Miscellany Media Studios with music licensed from the Sounds like an Earful music supply. Thanks for listening! Find more information about our shows at miscellanymedia.online or follow us on Twitter @miscellanymedia for updates on current and future projects.
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Sources:
1. Locsin-Nava, Cecelia. "Teresa Magbauna: Woman Warrior". Review of Women's Studies. Vol 6, No 1, 1996.
2. Caraccilo, Dominic J. (2005). Surviving Bataan And Beyond: Colonel Irvin Alexander's Odyssey As A Japanese Prisoner Of War. Stackpole Books