Testimony of Egmedio Palmes of San Jose Batangas on his Escape from Japanese Atrocity - Batangas History, Culture and Folklore Testimony of Egmedio Palmes of San Jose Batangas on his Escape from Japanese Atrocity - Batangas History, Culture and Folklore

Testimony of Egmedio Palmes of San Jose Batangas on his Escape from Japanese Atrocity

Batangas History
1 Dec, 2017

[TRANSCRIPTION]

This page contains the testimony of one Egmedio Palmes of San Jose, Batangas on his near-escape from being killed by Japanese soldiers. The pages contained herein are now declassified and were part of compiled documentation1 of war crimes trials conducted by the United States Military Commission after the conclusion of World War II. Most of the testimonies were translated from Tagalog and have been corrected for grammar by Batangas History, Culture and Folklore where possible. The pagination is as it was contained in the original document for citation purposes.

San Jose Municipal Building in 1945
The ruined Municipal Building in San Jose in 1945.  Image credit:  United States National Archives.

[p. 55]

R E S T R I C T E D

EGMEDIO PALMES, after having been duly sworn, testified at the Municipal Building of San Jose, Batangas Province, P.I., on 6 October 1945, as follows:

Q Please state your full name, age, address and nationality.
A Egmedio Palmes, 45 years old, Barrio Banaybanay II, San Jose, Batangas Province, P.I., Filipino.

Q What is your occupation?
A Farmer.

Q Do you intend to remain at your present address, and if not, how can your whereabouts in the future be ascertained?
A I intend to remain at my present address.

Q Did you suffer any mistreatment at the hands of the Japanese?
A No. However, it was sheer luck that I was not killed by them.

Q Please related fully what happened.
A It was on March 28, 1945, about three o’clock in the afternoon, when Marcelino Ona, aged 24; Mariano Ona, aged 27; and I, all from the barrio of Banaybanay II, San Jose, Batangas Province, went along the National Road to give some bananas to the Americans. However, we could not see any Americans around.

We went to the house of Miguel Macalinga along the National Road in Banaybanay II to rest and wait for the Americans there. We had barely entered the gate when we heard the door downstairs open, followed by some Japanese words which we did not understand but whose import we could not mistake.

We all turned and fled. I heard shots. I managed to escape unscathed. Next day, March 27, 1945, I found the body of Marcelino Ona about ten meters from the house. He was shot in the back which went through the chest. I found the body of Mariano Ona four days later about seven meters from the house.

Q Do you know the names of any of the Japanese who shot your two companions?
A No, I did not see them. When I heard the door open, I did not look at it anymore, I just ran as fast as my legs could carry me.

Q Do you know what unit or organization they belonged to?
A No. As I said before, I did not see those Japanese. I am sure that they were Japanese because I heard Japanese words being spoken behind the door and the shots came from the direction of the door downstairs.

Q Have you anything else to add to your statement?
A No.

/s/ Egmedio Palmes
/t/ EGMEDIO PALMES

R E S T R I C T E D

[p. 56]

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES

PROVINCE OF BATANGAS

TOWN OF SAN JOSE

I, EGMEDIO PALMES, being duly sworn on oath, state that I had read to me and understood the translation of the foregoing transcription of my interrogation and all answers contained therein, consisting of one (1) page, are true to the best of my knowledge and belief.
/s/ Egmedio Palmes
/t/ EGMEDIO PALMES
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 31st day of October, 1945.
/s/ Allen H. Peoples
/t/ ALLEN H. PEOPLES, Capt. CAC
Investigating Officer, War Crimes
Investigating Detachment.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES

TOWN OF SAN JOSE

I, ALFREDO CUEVAS, residing at 1369 Antipolo Street, Sampaloc, Manila, P.I., being duly sworn on oath, state that I truly translated the questions and answers given from English to Tagalog and from Tagalog to English, respectively, and that after being transcribed, I truly translated the foregoing deposition containing one (1) page, to the witness; that the witness thereupon in my presence affixed his signature thereto.
/s/ Alfredo Cuevas
/t/ ALFREDO CUEVAS
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 31st day of October, 1945.
/s/ Allen H. Peoples
/t/ ALLEN H. PEOPLES, Capt. CAC
Investigating Officer, War Crimes
Investigating Detachment.

R E S T R I C T E D

[p. 57]

C E R T I F I C A T E

We, ALLEN H. PEOPLES, Capt., 0249524, CAC, and CHARLES C. THOMPSON, Capt., 01000484, TC, certify that on the 6th day of October, 1945, personally appeared before us EGMEDIO PALMES, and according to ALFREDO CUEVAS, gave the foregoing answers to the several questions set forth therein; that after his testimony had been transcribed, the said EGMEDIO PALMES had read to him by the said interpreter the same and affixed his signature thereto in our presence.
Municipal Bldg., San Jose,
Batangas Province, P.I. 		/s/ Allen H. Peoples
/t/ ALLEN H. PEOPLES, Capt., CAC
31 October 1945 /s/ Charles C. Thompson
/t/ CHARLES C. THOMPSON, Capt., TC
Notes and references:
1 “Documents Pertaining to the Testimony of Egmedio Palmes in U.S.A. v Tomoyuki Yamashita,” part of the U.S. Military Commission compilation of war crimes documentation, online at the Internet Archive.
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