Flags, freedom and memories in Talisay

Navy men and students in the roles of American liberators and Japanese soldiers reenact the 1945 landing of US troops in the shores of Talisay 70 years ago. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

Hundreds of spectators lined the shore of Larawan Beach in Talisay City watching  rubber boats filled with armed soldiers in camouflage uniforms approach from the open sea.

Near the shore, student cadets playing the role of Japanese soldiers lay sleeping. They were jolted awake by the explosion of  of “bombs” planted by US troops.

A firefight ensued with the Japanese soldiers first resisting, then losing to the 50 or more men from the US troops who reclaimed Cebu from the colonizers.

Rain and cold wind yesterday didn’t hamper the  reenactment of the 70th commemoration of the historic Talisay Landing.

“Even if the rain was teasing us, I am thankful that God gave us a chance to continue with the commemoration of the landing,” said Talisay City Mayor Johnny delos Reyes.

The scene relived the events of March 26, 1945 when  Americans troops arrived in Cebu, eventually liberating locals from the Japanese.

While the country is no longer a colony,  majority  of Filipinos still live in poverty, said the mayor.

Talisay City Mayor Johny Delos Reyes raises the Philippine Flag while US Consul John Domingo (2nd from left) and Retired Japanese Capt. Takeshi Ishida (far right) wait for their turn to raise the US and Japanese Flags in Poblacion, Talisay City. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

“This is what we should aspire to achieve—that many of us will break free from the prison that is poverty,” he told reporters.

Over 3,000 witnessed the ceremony at the Liberation Shrine in Larawan Beach in  barangay Poblacion, said Cynthia Barrit, city information officer.

A morning mass was followed by a parade participated in by the  armed forces, navy, air force and police, aside from students of various high schools in Talisay.

READ: Remembering the retreat

Two wreaths were placed in front of the marker. The first wreath was brought by Cebu Provincial Board Member Julian Daan and AFP Central Command Commander Maj. Gen. Nicanor Vivar. Another was  brought by representatives of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) from the United States.

Flags of the Philippines, Japan and US were raised before the reenactment.

Capt. Takeshi Ishida, represented the Japanese Consul to Cebu. US Consular Agent Cebu John Domingo was there along with  nine  members of the Americal Division Veterans Association who are in the Philippines to visit battle sites in Cebu from March 22 until today.

WWII Filipino veteran Nestor Palconet 91 (left) and Terry Davenport, a US veteran, at the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Talisay Landing.
(CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

More than 100 Navy officers  played the role of  US soldiers while students from the Talisay City College (TCC) portrayed  Japanese soldiers.

Samuel Arnold, the 26-year-old great grandson of Major Gen. William Howard Arnold, was also present.

“This is my first time to attend the ceremony. It’s an honor to be here, to see this being celebrated,” said the young Arnold, a personal fitness trainer based in Australia.

The elder Arnold, who died in 1976, was the commander of the US Army Division that  landed in Talisay.

Jim Cowan,a 71-year-old war veteran, witnessed the ceremonies for the first time.  He said he was there to pay  tribute to those who  lost their lives in the war.

Originally from Scotland, Cowan moved to Cebu five years ago where he met his wife, a Filipina.

The veteran recently associated himself with the VFW of the US. He participated in the Vietnam War in the late 1960s.