The Japanese army came back to Butuan in March of 1944. The Kempetai knew that
the American submarines were regularly there so much so that Agusan was called
Little Australia. As a consequence, the gentle professional soldier, Captain
Handa was considered inefficient and was replaced. Captain Hirai was ruthless.
This new garrison commander was going to deal with these dirty, indolent, lying
Filipinos with an iron hand. He utilized his Korean conscripts efficiently and
ruthlessly. His jail was filled with suspects.
But he deferred to Captain Watanabe, giving the latter greater authority and
independence of initiative. Captain Hirai rose from the ranks, starting out as
a private while Captain Watanabe had been to the most famous military schools.
When the two had differences of opinion, the Kempetai head always prevailed.
Upon Captain Watanabe's insistence, Captain Hirai's first task was to issue an
order to seek out and shoot to kill a certain Itoy Flores, whose wife was half
Japanese, and who pretended to be a sympathizer, working as a pilot but ended
up sabotaging the boat he piloted for the Japanese, the M/V Tito.
Captain Watanabe, while in Manila a month before, had the unpleasant task of
interrogating a certain Dr. Denitsu Shimoura, who, in the end, divulged the
identity and possible hideout of the Tiger. Captain Watanabe was not proud of
the Shimoura affair. Torturing, and in the end, killing a Japanese gentleman,
left a bitter taste in his mouth. He was ashamed to admit to himself that his
position required the castigation and murder of dozens of innocent people just
to get to the guilty one. In his heart, he was beginning to harbor doubts about
his cause, his country, and his emperor. Obedience should not be blind. That
was long gone with the feudal times.
At least, his obsession, the elusive Tiger, was a warrior. His hunt for this
enemy was one of the few things that kept his work worthwhile and he knew the
hunt was nearing completion.
And his Pilar was his only other source of comfort. On many occasions he would
just lay his cheek on the inside of her thigh, brushing his lips against the
cool softness of her naked skin. He would end up in a most restful sleep,
unhampered by the thought of anyone or anything causing him harm. There was
safety between a woman's groins. He liked it best when she would just caress
his hair and face with her calloused hands, incomparable solace in her
primitive and uncultured voice. She spoke softly in her native dialect that he
could hardly understand but the gentle droning sound made him feel like a small
boy again. This was his ugly Pilar whom he called Oka san. He never told her
that it meant mother. He did not realize that she was his one Achilles heel. A
woman. Why must it always be a woman?
The Americans had evacuated to Upper Agusan and the guerillas had taken to
hiding again, storing their firearms and other weapons in the most unlikely
places such as under the toilet or under pigpens.
Dr. Pedro de Jesus, a dentist, was a civilian. And Casiano Plaza, MD, was a
civilian, too. Under Captain Handa, they had armbands that identified them as
doctors and were able to move about without being harassed by the Japanese
soldiers. The Japanese officers often attended their parties and drink sake or
'laksoy' laden with raisins with them. They would sometimes even borrow a
Japanese automobile or truck to go to the beach for a picnic. Many times
Captain Handa and Captain Watanabe would join them. Under Captain Hirai their
arm bands were confiscated but their medical work was never restricted.
It was Captain Watanabe's strategy to go around different barrios, socialize
with the inhabitants, gain their confidence, and obtain information from them.
He often did this alone, sometimes, out of uniform except he always had the
.katana., his sword, with him.
Pete de Jesus, till the day he died in 1995, more than fifty years later, never
had an explanation for a strange incident. Captain Watanabe was caught in the
rain in Kabagyangan near Pete.s house one late September afternoon. Somehow, it
almost always rained in the afternoon during the month of September. He rushed
up to the de Jesus residence to escape the downpour. The good dentist and his
wife naturally invited him in. While waiting for his shirt to dry up, he played
hide and seek with little Vic, the youngest child, then decided he was tired
and wanted to take a nap.
Captain Watanabe slept for about an hour, then got up, washed his face, put his
shirt back on, thanked Pete and left. While the feared Japanese was sleeping,
Pete was outside, sitting in the veranda, perspiration dripping down his
forehead, back and armpits, chewing on his ever present cigar, expecting to be
arrested and taken to the garrison. Being taken to the garrison was tantamount
to being given a death sentence! Under the pillow that Captain Watanabe slept
on Pete had hidden his 38 caliber pistol. How the Japanese officer ever missed
it was, to him, forever a mystery.
But it was not a mystery. It was a calculated move. Watanabe knew that the
Americans had distributed a lot of firearms to the guerillas. But the dentist
was not a guerilla. He hid his gun under a pillow, of all places! Naivete of
the ultimate degree that could have cost this man his life. The thought made
him smile.
"No, he is not the one I want. If I take him in, then the others will be
alerted."
And Captain Watanabe was not caught in the rain by accident in Kabagyangan. He
had been casing that side of the river for the Tiger's lair for a while.
Lucio.s information had been accurate so far. If everything goes well, he shall
have the Tiger in custody soon. And he was certain the Tiger will give him all
the information he needed, information that even that slimy, slithering snake,
Lucio, could not provide. His method for information extraction had never ever
failed.
Pete, Casian, Popong, and Titong Esguerra played mahjong every Thursday at
Pete's house. Sometimes Moling Sanchez came to play although he did not enjoy
the game as much, being more interested in talking about business and politics.
Cacoy Calo came to play, too, but he would eventually end up in an endless
discussion with Moling about anything and everything.
They were all cousins except for Pete but Popong was the only one who was an
active guerilla. The rest were uncomfortable having him walk around displaying
his forty five caliber pistol. Sometimes he would bring his sparkling new
carbine with him, showing it off to the rest of the guys.
"Pong, you really need to keep your firearms hidden away. You know the Japanese
have been sending out patrols to this area more frequently." Casian was the
more vocal one.
"I'm not afraid of them. Let them come. Besides, I have this." Taking out the
paper that Dr. Shimoura gave him in Camp O'Donnell, handling it like a
talisman, an amulet, an anting-anting against anything evil.
"Yeah? But we are!" Titong joined in. He stared to challenge Popong for a few
seconds but then got distracted by the game. It was his turn.
"Yes, Pong, just keep your firearms at home. The wife is beginning to complain
about that, too. There are children around." Pete said.
Popong did not say anything but one could see that he was embarrassed. He was
sulking but after a few minutes, he recovered, "Okay." He was his usual self
again.
But Popong's mind was no longer in the game. Pete's comment about children made
him start thinking about his own beautiful daughter who was more than three
months old already. The night before, he and Lillian had a long discussion.
They had been living with Nanay Cedes, for a while now, although Popong had to
stay away for long periods of time to avoid detection.
"Let's go back to Cabadbaran and hide there. Or we can evacuate and join Manong
and Manay Lolang in Talacogon. The Japs won't dare to go there. Besides your
Mama and the whole family are already there."
"You know I can't leave. My orders are to stay here."
"But I don't think it is safe here anymore. What if they catch you?"
Popong kissed her on the cheek. She was crying. The baby was asleep in her
arms.
"They won't catch me. Who would betray us? We know everybody here. They are our
relatives and friends. Perhaps you should take the baby and stay in Cabadbaran
or Tubay. Talacogon is too far away and besides it is more dangerous there now.
The Japs must know that the Americans are there."
"No, I can't go. I will not go without you."
There was a finality in her voice and by now Popong knew that Lillian can be
stubborn when she said something in that tone. They had just celebrated their
first wedding anniversary. He has gradually gotten to know his wife. Theirs was
a whirlwind romance and the discovery of one another came after the wedding.
His wife did not have a single flaw and he loved her so.
The night outside was like any other night in Bansa, perfection like all of
God's creation. There was a half moon and the crickets were noisy as they
always were after an early evening rain. One could smell the wild jasmines and
everything seemed so peaceful with the world.
"Next month. Next month I shall ask for a transfer." Popong promised himself.
He did not know that for him there would not be a next month.
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