Affidavit of Isabelo Maturan Included in the File of the Gold Area Unit

I, ISABELO C. MATURAN, Filipino, of legal age, married, Sergeant USAFFE Regular, former 1^st Inf. PC, now S/Sgt., PA, assigned in the Recovered Personnel Detachment AFWESPAC APO 707, Camp Murphy, Rizal, and a resident of Bagumbayan, Pasig, Rizal, after having been duly sworn in accordance with law, hereby declare and say:

1. That on or about three months after my escape from Bataan, I joined the 43^rd Division under Capt. Terry Magtangol, afterwards Major Policarpio alias Big Boy, and I was assigned smuggler of arms and ammunition in the City of Manila. Since I was in this organization, I remember that I had contributed three automatic rifles, one service revolver cal. 45, five cans of ammunition cal. 30, and clips of automatic rifles almost or more than a hundred. Of [the] same organization, I also delivered an auto battery for use of the division transmitter in the mountain. Lt. Marcelino Nera was the head of the party when the abovementioned battery was delivered.

2. That on or about Sept. 12, 1943, I was commissioned from my regular rank [of] sergeant to 2^nd Lt. by Major Ildefonso Fernandez (alias H. J. Hocson), Commanding Officer of the Hq. DID FLA, representing 6^TH MD, Col. M. Peralta Jr. Commanding, and I was assigned in the Hq. DID FLA.

3. That on or about Nov. 1, 1943, I was sent to Panay with Capt. Paunel, Lt. Moises Concepcion, and Capt. Mariano Tibay, the head of the party, for our safety as the Japanese MP was after us. We were sent back to Manila by order of Capt. Melanio Perez, for the reason that Manila was the best hiding place for the intelligence operatives. On the following day, we left Odiongan, Tablas Is. except Capt. Mariano Tibay, because he decided to stay thereat. We passed Paclasan, Mindoro, instead going direct to Batangas due to the fact that we were intercepted by the Japanese launch between Tablas Is. and Mindoro.

4. That on or about Nov. 13^th of [the] same year, we arrived [in] Bauan, Batangas and contacted Capt. Ricardo Perez, CO of the Batangas Unit of [the] same organization, and arrangement was made for my safety.

5. That on or about 15^th Nov. 1943, Capt. Ricardo Perez, CO of the Batangas Unit of [the] same organization, and I went to Bagbag, Tanauan, Batangas to look after his men and the situation of the population thereat. We left Bagbag, Tanauan, Batangas for Bauan of [the] same province and on the following day, I was sent to Manila with one enlisted man under him (Capt. Ricardo Perez), to deliver his reports to our Commanding Officer, Major Ildefonso Fernandez, alias H. J. Hocson of the Hq. DID FLA 6^TH MD, and asked [for] funds for the Batangas Unit under him.

6. That on or about 22^nd Nov. 1943, I left Manila after contacting Major Ildefonso Fernandez alias H. J. Hocson, Commanding Officer Hq. DID FLA 6^th MD and reported to Capt. Ricardo Perez.

7. That on or about 28 Nov. 1943, I was sent to Bagbag, Tanauan, Batangas to discipline the men under him (Capt. Ricardo Perez). Two days after my arrival, Capt. Ricardo Perez, Capt. Deny Flores, and other arrived at the same place and stayed until one day after the Hq. was raided by the Japanese Philippine Constabulary. No papers, arms, and men caught during that raid. One day after the Hq. was raided, we left immediately for Bauan, Batangas, crossing the mountain and Taal Lake.

8. That on or about after Christmas, 1943, I followed Capt. R. Perez to Manila carrying with me military propaganda and [a] letter of General MacArthur to the Filipino people in mimeograph, and pictures of military propaganda given by Capt. Deny Flores.

9. That on or about [the] 2^nd day of January, 1944, I was sent back to Bauan, Batangas by Capt. Ricardo Perez to help Capt. Deny Flores in the headquarters to discipline the men. On the 4^th day of January of the same year, the intelligence operatives, our comrades in the Hq. DID FLA 6^th MD arrived with Capt. Bretania as head of the party and bound for Mindoro Island. On the 5^th of the same month and year, the headquarters were raided by the Japanese soldiers because there was shooting in the cabaret. During the raid, no papers of the activities in the organization were found by the Japanese soldiers because 1^st Lt. Estanislao Villasor was able to bring all the secrets such as newspapers, intelligence reports, and maps of Japanese installations, and Japs’ positions almost in [the] Luzon area, thru my aid, and the son of Simon Arrita, owner of the house which was our headquarters.

10. That on or about after the raid in Bauan, Batangas, I went to Manila and reported to Capt. Ricardo Perez. While I was in the city of Manila, I stayed in the house of Major Macario Negrosa, former Major of the 1^st Inf. Reg’t, Philippine Constabulary. Major Negrosa was able to read and see the military propaganda given by Capt. Deny Flores when I followed Capt. Ricardo Perez after Christmas, year 1945, to Manila.

11. That on or about after the arrest of Capt. Ricardo Perez (Feb. 13, 1944 midnight), I left for Bauan, Batangas carrying all the reports left by Capt. Perez and my reports, map (Mindanao), and communication regarding my identity and activities of CIO-12 (Franco Vera Reyes). The said map was given voluntarily by Maj. Macario Negrosa thru my propaganda activities while I was in the city of Manila. And the said map, according to this major, was delivered by Gen. Paulino Santos to President Laurel, passing first in the Bu. of Plant Industry. The map was recopied by one of the clerks in the abovementioned bureau by order of the director thru Major Macario Negrosa, indicating Japanese positions, airfields, garrisons, home guards, and guerrilla positions.

12. That on or about the end of March 1944, all reports, maps, and communications were delivered by Capt. Deny Flores to Major Phillips, an American guerrilla leader at Mindoro.

13. That on or about the month of June 1944, I left Bauan, Batangas for Manila. While I was in Manila, I lost contact for almost [all] ranking officers, including my CO, Hq. DID FLA 6^TH MD were caught by the Japanese Military Police.

14. That while I lost contact with my commanding officer, Major Ildefonso Fernandez alias H. J. Hocson and with all ranking officers under him in the Hq. DID FLA 6^th MD, I joined in the Southwest Pacific Area (SPECIAL UNIT MANILA SOUTH SECTOR) Lt. Col. Cirilo Ledesma alias Deo L. Carmona, CO, and assigned in the headquarters under him, as 2^nd Lt., the same as my rank in the Hq. DID FLA 6^th MD. (It was 29 October 1944 [when] I joined the abovementioned guerrilla unit.)

15. That on or about 14 March 1945, I was given verbal orders by Lt. Col. Cirilo Ledesma alias Deo L. Carmona to report for duty in the Philippine Army before he left for Laguna.

16. That on or about 15 March 1945, I reported for duty at Camp Murphy, Rizal, and I was processed on 19^th March of [the] same year, with my regular rank in the Philippine Constabulary as Sergeant.

17. That on or about the 1^st week of May 1945, although I was already processed in the Philippine Army, I attended the conference held in the house of Capt. Galang, who was also one of the intelligence operatives of the 6^th MD, to listen to the instructions of Col. Macario Peralta, Jr., the Commanding Officer of the 6^th MD, before he left for study in the United States [as] required by the United States Army authorities.

18. That on or about 18 October 1945, 1^st Lt. Estanislao Villasor approached me where I was assigned in the 11^th QM Company, APO 75 at Camp Murphy, Rizal, that the officers and men in the 6^th MD were to be processed. I asked 1^st Lt. E. Villasor if I was included [if] my name appeared in the roster. Lt. Villasor replied that I was not in the roster of the 6^th MD. I was surprised how and why my name was not included in the roster of the 6^th Military District.

19. That on or about 13 January 1946, I had read in the Manila Chronicle that [the] Panay Guerrillas, known as the 6^th MD, under the direct command of Brig. Gen. Macario Peralta, Jr., formerly the chief of this unit, were requested to see Capt. Jose Cantara, Teodorisco Haresco, and Lt. Maximo Bascos at the Office of the Speaker, House of Representatives.

20. That on or about 16 Jan., this present year, I was asked in the Adjutant’s Office, Recovered Personnel Detachment, AFWESPAC APO 707 at Camp Murphy, Rizal, for one day verbal pass for the purpose of reporting to Capt. Jose Cantara at the Office of the Speaker, House of Representatives, as indicated [in] paragraph 19, this affidavit.