Memories about World War II

I received an e-mail from my friend Lito Domaoan asking me, among other things:

Hi Vic: I don’t know that you were born in Laoac, Manaoag. Laoac is a separate town now so you are part "Laoacan" and Asinganian. Were all of  your siblings  born in Laoac? In what year did your parents immigrated to Asingan?....

The e-mail evoked some memories, very early ones which were instilled partly by stories from my mother who was quite a story teller herself. She related that my grand parents and great grandparents ( grandmother's side )  were natives of Asingan. My mother is from Laoac.My grandfather (father side ) Donato Costes served as a Mayor around 1920(?) but a stroke cut his term short.He died while still in office. When World War II broke out, my mother accompanied by the whole household evacuated to Laoac, her native town ( or barrio ) to hide. They left a few weeks before the Japanese arrived in Asingan. The year was 1942.  May 21 on that year, I was born in a small hut in the middle of a rice cane field. My grandfather(mother side) was a hard working farmer.

After the surrender of Japan, when we heard that Americans arrived in Pangasinan, my family went back to Asingan walking all the way because many roads were destroyed and public transportation was non-existent. It took them a whole week to hike, and they traveled with other evacuees. They arrived in Asingan to find an American camp in front of our house, situated at the western side of the Roman Catholic church lot.

I remembered just vaguely about that American camp. My mother told me many stories about the Americans. When drunk, they said, they could be boisterous. Two good GIs sometimes slept in our house, my Mom said. They were good friends. I vaguely remember seeing their cot beds in our living room.

Several years later, one of them ( his name was Steve) sent us his wedding photo. He was wearing a uniform with some stripes. I guess he was promoted and he and his pretty bride were married in the US when he returned home after the war.I remembered mother keeping the photo and a few letters from him.

Many horror stories that happened during the Occupation also came out later. They said Asinganians were slapped on the face by the Japanese ifthey failed to bow to them on the street. A townmayor ( Mr. Alejo ) was executed by the Japs using the water torture. It is said he was made to drink water mixed with wood ashes, then soldiers stepped on his belly. They wanted him to confess the names of local guerillas, but he refused. Also babies were killed with bayonets. The memory of such brutality lingered in Asingan for several years that even in the 50s, they say that no Japanese could go into the barrios without being killed by the locals who survived the occupation.

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Lito also contributed some stories re: the war in an e-mail.He said:

Like your family, we also run away. We  crossed the Agno river to  a Nipa hut and a cave where we hid for sometime. One of my sisters was born on Dec 21, 1941 during the evacuation shes the only one who was born in Asingan. Myself  and another sister was  born at the Sacred Heart Hospital in Manila . My Papang was working with the Bureau of Customs and at the same time studying Law at the University of the Philippines as a scholar. My mom was also teaching at the Lico Elementary school in Paco, Manila.

When the war broke out we were still in the city running around just to escape the bombing of Manila. Luckily my Papang survived the bombing of the Bureau of Custom which was almost wiped out. I remember riding the train going to Pangasinan during that time. Charcoal or coal was used for operating the train. I remember your Mom telling me that my Mom was her contemporary. May their souls rest in peace,  Amen! ....