History and Activities of the Alcazar Battalion (Talisay)

HUNTERS (ROTC)
Batangas Guerrilla Area
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History of the Organization

The 4^th Battalion, 49^th Regiment, Hunters or ROTC Guerrillas was formerly a Regimental Unit organized by me, Capt. Emilio A. Alcazar, Inf. U.S.A., Reserve, which had direct contact with Marking’s Guerrillas in the Sierra Madre Mountains, through the late Lt. Col. Dionisio T. Medrana, a Liaison Officer of the Marking’s Guerrilla Unit. This regiment was organized by me sometime in March 1942. The said organization had complete members and functioning smoothly in the northern part of the province of Batangas. Meetings were held secretly by officers twice a week in different remote places to avoid being spied by the enemy. Military drills and instructions were given twice a week to give the members some ideas and knowledge of the military rules and regulations.

The organization having been incorporated with the Marking’s, Col. Medrana and a companion, whose name is Alejandro Austria, a Major, often visited our Headquarters, delivering orders and information from the Marking’s Hqrs. During the last visit of Col. Medrana in the latter part of August 1942, he had in his party another man whose name was Narciso Viray, who showed his credentials as a captain and an inspector of the Marking’s Guerrillas. At first, I entertained some doubt as to the identity of Viray ans his connections, for it was the first time that I saw that man, but Col. Medrana assured me that the man was a genuine guerrilla. At the time this party arrived at our headquarters, I was issuing credentials to several officers and N.C.O.’s of my Regiment. About three hours after Col. Medrana and his party left our headquarters, more than 200 Japanese suddenly arrived and surrounded the whole town. They particularly guarded my house and when I peeped through a window, I saw a truck and a sedan car parked in front of my house. The sedan had three passengers and one of them was Narciso Viray. It was then that I realized that Viray was a spy. Without hesitation, I hurriedly picked up papers pertaining to my organization and burned them to prevent them from getting any evidence about our guerrilla organization in case they would search my house and myself. What I did with my records was that I think the best that could be done for, under the circumstances, there was no possibility for me to escape.

Fortunately, I had already burned all the papers when the three passengers of the car came up to my house looking for me. When they saw me, without hesitation Narciso Viray pointed me to the Japanese officers, saying that I was Lt. Col. Alcazar, the organizer of guerrillas in my locality. I was questioned by the officers but I didn’t answer any question. They searched me and my house, but despite the fact that they got no evidence, they arrested me and brought me to Barrio Ambulong, Tanauan, Batangas. There, I was severely punished for five days to secure from me a confession, but I was determined to die rather than divulge the identity of any member of my organization.

While in Ambulong, I was not given any food for five days. Later, they transferred me to Talisay, Batangas, my hometown and held me prisoner for twenty-four days, being tortured almost every day and given very little food. I was not given treatment for the wounds which were barbarously inflicted.

I was transferred to my home in a hammock. While thus very sick, I temporarily lost contact with all members of my organization because I warned them not to visit me in my house so that the Japanese would not suspect that I still exercised control over the members of the ill-fated organization.

For a time, the organization was inactive, performing only intelligence work. As all the members of the organization cautiously carried out my instructions to be more careful not to let [the] Japanese and spies to detect anything about our secret activities, the rigors of Japanese operations within our sector gradually lessened. At this juncture, propaganda groups of the so-called HUNTERS or ROTC Guerrillas gained sufficient fame in the northern towns of Batangas, comprising Lipa, Malvar, Tanawan, Sto. Tomas and Talisay.

In the middle part of 1944, a resident of Talisay, whose name was Mario Solis, joined the ROTC Guerrillas. This man came to my headquarters one day and invited me to accompany him to Barrio Manalao, western border of Taal Lake, where the headquarters of the 49^th Regiment, Hunters or ROTC Guerrillas, was being established. As he was known to me to be a confidential man, I gathered my staff composed of S-1, S-2, S-3 and the Liaison Officer, and proceeded to Manalao. We met Lt. Col. Jacinto del Pilar (alias), whose real name is Juanito Ferrer, and after matters concerning our organization and its operation were carefully discussed, we agreed that my organization would be incorporated to the 49^th Regiment. Before we left the headquarters, I was instructed to submit my roster so as to be forwarded to the General Headquarters at Nasugbu, Batangas.

We returned to our headquarters and, in the following morning, I sent my roster, together with my credentials as instructed, and personally delivered by two staff officers. After two weeks, a messenger from the Regimental Hqs. handed me a message together with my credentials. [The] Contents of the message were no more than assurances that my roster was already delivered to the General Hqs. Since then, I placed my unit under the supreme authority of the 49^th Regiment, ROTC.

As time passed, the intelligence personnel, together with the Battalion Commander, basically performed its functions, such as collection of information about the enemy, locations of friendly troops where messages of information could be sent quicker. During the early part of February 1945, there was a rumor that the Americans would land in Batangas, and because of this rumor, the Japanese increased their reinforcements in the whole province, especially in the northern region

Immediately upon arrival of the Eleventh Airborne Division at Tagaytay, I sent a message addressed to the CO American Force at Tagaytay which was delivered by a delegation headed by Captain Octavio Nicolas, S-1, 1^st Lt. Isidro Cortez, S-4, 1^st Lt. Pio Mercado, Liaison Officer, and several enlisted men. When the party returned home, they brought with them the following items: 1 trench mortar, 81 mm. with 18 rds. of ammunition; 1 carbine, cal. 30, with magazine and 100 rds. of ammunition; 1 box fragmentation hand grenades; 7 sticks of smoke grenade; a map of Tanauan sheet # 34531111; and some subsistence. As the Americans already occupied the western section of the Tagaytay Ridge, the Japanese on the other end busily strengthened their fortifications at the base of Mount Gonzales. From there, they established several relaying points linking Tagaytay, Talisay and Tanauan. They established combat and supply bases at sitio Calii, almost halfway between Tagaytay Ridge and Talisay. By personal reconnaissance, I located this point, plotted it on the overlay map of Tanauan sheet # 34531111. This information was delivered to CO American Force at Tagaytay and, after two hours, the place was effectively shelled which resulted in the heavy destruction of both personnel and supplies of the enemy.

Other activities of the members of this organization are as follows: On February 16, 1945, at Barrio Balolo [Balite?], Silang, Cavite, Capt. Pablo Ortilla and fellowmen attacked a certain number of Japanese and captured one who at the time was making personnel reconnaissance according to evidences found in his person. The Japanese was turned over the Hqs. of the Eleventh Airborne at Tagaytay that same date. It is believed this Japanese revealed some valuable information regarding their forces.

On 24 February 1945, in the jungle between Barrio Balolo and Sitio of Casila, Silang, Cavite, Captain Pablo Ortilla and three men under him, while on patrol duty, attacked and killed two Japanese reconnoitering patrol in their vicinity. Capt. Ortilla’s men buried the remains where they were killed.

On March 23, 1945, while I was making personal reconnaissance at Barrio Caloocan, 5 km. west of Talisay, I unexpectedly met one squad of American soldiers under the leadership of Dr. Threlkeld. Their mission was also reconnaissance At this barrio, we found [a] Japanese position and by surprise attack, we inflicted several casualties. I personally killed two. (See attached exhibit for facts.)

As already mentioned, this organization was a part of the 49^th Regiment, ROTC Guerrillas, because of previous arrangements [I] had with that Regiment, so that I confidently believe that the connection of this Battalion with the superior unit was considered official. With this belief, I, as representative of this organization went to Camp Murphy some-

I am, therefore, taking this step to request that our organization be given due recognition, if possible, as an independent unit, inasmuch as in fact, we had acted independently and dealt with the American Forces of Liberation directly in fighting the enemy. If given recognition, I propose to designate my unit as “Alcazar’s Own Battalion.”

[Sgd.] EMILIO A. ALCAZAR

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