Julian Morada's Request for Reconsideration, July 1946
The Mataasnalupa Guerrilla Unit was supposedly a small guerrilla outfit operating in the then-municipality of Lipa during the Japanese Occupation of Batangas up to the liberation of the province. It was commanded by one Julian Morada. This unit failed to obtain official recognition as an element of the Philippine Army in the service of the Armed Forces of the United States. In this document1, Julian Morada, after having been informed of his guerrilla unit’s non-recognition, requested for reconsideration.
[p. 1]
[Originally handwritten]
July 3, 1946
APO 707, AFWESPAC
Manila, P. I.
Sir:
Please permit me to make a reply to your communication on June 21, dealing with the Mataasnalupa Guerrilla Unit.
When we met to organize it, we had not thought of any reward. We simply wanted the U. S. [to] win the war. We owe our lives to the American people. Had the American soldiers not come on time to liberate us, we might be very few now. So why wait for reward?
As I understand from what you mean by “definite established organization,” I think we had such, because we could perform satisfactorily our duties in accordance with the unit’s objectives. We had controlled adequately our men of the fact that they followed our advice to take refuge in a designated place and be ready to fight the enemy at any time.
I am certain that we would fight to the last side by side with American soldiers had the Japs [had] enough forces to battle not only because we had been Americanized culturally and spiritually but also because thousands of people of our town, Lipa, had been tortured and killed by Japanese soldiers.
Ten of our own men met their deaths because of the orders of their leaders and officers.
[p. 2]