Testimony of Isidoro Magnaye on Japanese Atrocities Committed in Tanauan, Batangas in 1945
[TRANSCRIPTION]
This page contains the testimony of one Isidoro Magnaye on Japanese atrocities committed in Tanauan, Batangas in 1945. 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. This transcription has been corrected for grammar where necessary by Batangas History, Culture and Folklore. The pagination is as it was contained in the original document for citation purposes.
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| Photo taken during the war crimes trials in Manila. Image credit: U.S. National Archives. |
[p. 2189]
CAPTAIN PACE: Mr. Magnaye
ISIDORO MAGNAYE
called as a witness on behalf of the Prosecution, being first duly sworn, was examined and testified as follows through Interpreter Dionisio, with Interpreter Rodas acting as “check” interpreter:
DIRECT EXAMINATION
Q (By Captain Pace) Give your name, please.
A Isidoro Magnaye.
Q Where do you live?
A In Tanauan, Batangas.
Q What barrio?
A In the Poblacion.
Q Were did you live on the 21st of February 1945?
A In the barrio of Bilogbilog, Tanauan, Batangas.
Q Did you see the Japanese come on the 21st of February and take Joaquin Mendoza and 37 other men away from the town?
A Yes, sir.
Q Is he the man who just testified before you?
A Yes sir. He is Joaquin Mendoza.
Q Will you tell what happened on the following day, the 22nd of Februray?
A On that morning of February 22nd, that guy Mendoza went to the town and told us that the Japanese were rounding the men [up].
Q Did you see the Japanese come to the town on February 22nd?
A In that morning of February 22nd, I can see by the
A Isidoro Magnaye.
Q Where do you live?
A In Tanauan, Batangas.
Q What barrio?
A In the Poblacion.
Q Were did you live on the 21st of February 1945?
A In the barrio of Bilogbilog, Tanauan, Batangas.
Q Did you see the Japanese come on the 21st of February and take Joaquin Mendoza and 37 other men away from the town?
A Yes, sir.
Q Is he the man who just testified before you?
A Yes sir. He is Joaquin Mendoza.
Q Will you tell what happened on the following day, the 22nd of Februray?
A On that morning of February 22nd, that guy Mendoza went to the town and told us that the Japanese were rounding the men [up].
Q Did you see the Japanese come to the town on February 22nd?
A In that morning of February 22nd, I can see by the
[p. 2190]
far distance the Japanese ordering the people, telling them something.
Q What did the Japanese do in your barrio on the 22nd?
INTERPRETER DIONISIO: Will you repeat, please, sir?
CAPTAIN PACE: What did the Japanese do in your barrio on the 22nd?
A After the Japanese gave the order, suddenly, two shots were fired and at the very instance, the Japanese soldiers began raping — began doing havoc to the town.
Q What did the Japanese do?
A They began shooting people and burning houses until they went to the house of Sixto Mercado.
Q How many people were in the house of Sixto Mercado?
A There were about 40 persons. Most of them were women.
Q Did they kill those 40 persons?
A Yes, sir.
Q How?
A The four Japanese, with ready bayonets, went around the house, two of them staying before the window and two went upstairs and began bayoneting the people inside the house.
Q How many other people did they bayonet in the houses other than that of Sixto Mercado?
A All the people inside the house of Mercado were bayoneted and killed and houses burned afterwards.
Q Did they kill any other people in other houses?
Q What did the Japanese do in your barrio on the 22nd?
INTERPRETER DIONISIO: Will you repeat, please, sir?
CAPTAIN PACE: What did the Japanese do in your barrio on the 22nd?
A After the Japanese gave the order, suddenly, two shots were fired and at the very instance, the Japanese soldiers began raping — began doing havoc to the town.
Q What did the Japanese do?
A They began shooting people and burning houses until they went to the house of Sixto Mercado.
Q How many people were in the house of Sixto Mercado?
A There were about 40 persons. Most of them were women.
Q Did they kill those 40 persons?
A Yes, sir.
Q How?
A The four Japanese, with ready bayonets, went around the house, two of them staying before the window and two went upstairs and began bayoneting the people inside the house.
Q How many other people did they bayonet in the houses other than that of Sixto Mercado?
A All the people inside the house of Mercado were bayoneted and killed and houses burned afterwards.
Q Did they kill any other people in other houses?
[2191]
A They killed in the house of Mercado. They also killed people in the other houses.
Q How many?
A I think there were around 15 of them.
CAPTAIN PACE: You may inquire.
Q How many?
A I think there were around 15 of them.
CAPTAIN PACE: You may inquire.
CROSS EXAMINATION
Q (By Captain Sandberg) Did you see them bayonet people in the house of Sixto Mercado?
A Yes, sir.
Q Were you in the house?
A I wasn’t there, but I could see through a distance of 100 meters away in my hiding place what the Japanese were doing.
Q You were a hundred meters away. Where did the bayoneting take place?
INTERPRETER DIONISIO: Will you repeat that, please?
CAPTAIN SANDBERG: Where in the house of Sixto Mercado did the beyoneting take place?
A Inside the house of Sixto Mercado, the people were bayoneted.
Q (By Captain Sandberg) And did you see it through the window?
A The house was open. The windows were open, so I could see it.
Q How many Japanese did you see?
A There were four Japanese soldiers that went to the house and killed people, but there were plenty of Japanese soldiers in that place.
A Yes, sir.
Q Were you in the house?
A I wasn’t there, but I could see through a distance of 100 meters away in my hiding place what the Japanese were doing.
Q You were a hundred meters away. Where did the bayoneting take place?
INTERPRETER DIONISIO: Will you repeat that, please?
CAPTAIN SANDBERG: Where in the house of Sixto Mercado did the beyoneting take place?
A Inside the house of Sixto Mercado, the people were bayoneted.
Q (By Captain Sandberg) And did you see it through the window?
A The house was open. The windows were open, so I could see it.
Q How many Japanese did you see?
A There were four Japanese soldiers that went to the house and killed people, but there were plenty of Japanese soldiers in that place.
[p. 2192]
Q Were there any Filipinos with the Japanese?
A There were none.
Q Were there any Makapili operating that day?
A There was none.
Q Did you give assistance to the guerrillas?
INTERPRETER DIONISIO: What is that?
CAPTAIN SANDBERG: Did you give assistance to the guerrillas?
A Yes, sir.
Q (By Captain Sandberg) What guerrilla organization were you a member of?
A I am not an official member of any guerrilla unit, but I go with them any time they want me to.
Q And did this guerrilla organization have its headquarters in the town of Tanauan?
INTERPRETER DIONISIO: Will you repeat that?
CAPTAIN SANDBERG: Did the guerrilla organization have its headquarters in the town of Tanauan?
A There is no headquarters in the towns of Batangas, but there are some there in the remote barrios because the Japanese are shooting the guerrillas.
Q In what activities did you help the guerrillas?
A There were about four Japanese soldiers that were ambushed by guerrillas, of which I was one of them.
Q You were one of the four who ambushed Japanese soldiers?
A Yes, sir.
Q What method did you use to kill the Japanese soldiers?
A There were none.
Q Were there any Makapili operating that day?
A There was none.
Q Did you give assistance to the guerrillas?
INTERPRETER DIONISIO: What is that?
CAPTAIN SANDBERG: Did you give assistance to the guerrillas?
A Yes, sir.
Q (By Captain Sandberg) What guerrilla organization were you a member of?
A I am not an official member of any guerrilla unit, but I go with them any time they want me to.
Q And did this guerrilla organization have its headquarters in the town of Tanauan?
INTERPRETER DIONISIO: Will you repeat that?
CAPTAIN SANDBERG: Did the guerrilla organization have its headquarters in the town of Tanauan?
A There is no headquarters in the towns of Batangas, but there are some there in the remote barrios because the Japanese are shooting the guerrillas.
Q In what activities did you help the guerrillas?
A There were about four Japanese soldiers that were ambushed by guerrillas, of which I was one of them.
Q You were one of the four who ambushed Japanese soldiers?
A Yes, sir.
Q What method did you use to kill the Japanese soldiers?
[p. 2193]
CAPTAIN PACE: If it pleases the Commission, this witness hasn’t testified that the Japanese injured him and I don’t see how his guerrilla activities could bear on his testimony, and certainly, membership in the guerrillas doesn’t go to your credibility.
CAPTAIN SANDBERG: If the Commission pleases, these questions are not directed to credibility. It is the position of the Defense that there was open warfare in Batangas and that these deaths occurred as the result of open combat operations. And that is the purpose of these questions.
GENERAL REYNOLDS: You may proceed.
CAPTAIN SANDBERG: Will you read back the question?
(Question read.)
A Rifle.
Q (By Captain Sandberg) Were all the members of the guerrilla organization armed?
A Most of them had no weapons, but because there were only a few of us who had them.
Q Did most of them carry bolos?
A Yes, sir.
Q Do you know whether any of these people who were killed in the house of Sixto Mendoza were also guerrillas?
A I know nothing.
Q Do you know of your own knowledge that other Japanese soldiers than those four you mentioned were killed by the guerrilla organization?
A The only four I have said.
Q Did you wear a uniform?
CAPTAIN SANDBERG: If the Commission pleases, these questions are not directed to credibility. It is the position of the Defense that there was open warfare in Batangas and that these deaths occurred as the result of open combat operations. And that is the purpose of these questions.
GENERAL REYNOLDS: You may proceed.
CAPTAIN SANDBERG: Will you read back the question?
(Question read.)
A Rifle.
Q (By Captain Sandberg) Were all the members of the guerrilla organization armed?
A Most of them had no weapons, but because there were only a few of us who had them.
Q Did most of them carry bolos?
A Yes, sir.
Q Do you know whether any of these people who were killed in the house of Sixto Mendoza were also guerrillas?
A I know nothing.
Q Do you know of your own knowledge that other Japanese soldiers than those four you mentioned were killed by the guerrilla organization?
A The only four I have said.
Q Did you wear a uniform?
[p. 2194
A I have none.
Q Can you tell us what the name of the guerrilla organization of which you were a member was?
A It is known as the Marking’s organization.
Q And would you describe yourself as engaged in the war against the Japanese?
INTERPRETER DIONISIO: Will you please, sir, repeat the last question?
CAPTAIN SANDBERG: Did you regard yourself as having engaged in war against the Japanese?
INTERPRETER DIONISIO: Repeat that again, please.
CAPTAIN SANDBERG: Did you regard yourself as having been engaged in war against the Japanese?
A I cannot regard myself as a member, only I was one of them during this time.
CAPTAIN SANDBERG: That’s all.
Q Can you tell us what the name of the guerrilla organization of which you were a member was?
A It is known as the Marking’s organization.
Q And would you describe yourself as engaged in the war against the Japanese?
INTERPRETER DIONISIO: Will you please, sir, repeat the last question?
CAPTAIN SANDBERG: Did you regard yourself as having engaged in war against the Japanese?
INTERPRETER DIONISIO: Repeat that again, please.
CAPTAIN SANDBERG: Did you regard yourself as having been engaged in war against the Japanese?
A I cannot regard myself as a member, only I was one of them during this time.
CAPTAIN SANDBERG: That’s all.
REDIRECT EXAMINATION
Q (By Captain Pace) Were some of the 55 people who were killed women and children?
INTERPRETER DIONISIO: What?
CAPTAIN PACE: Were some of the 55 people who were killed women and children?
A There were men, women and children, too.
Q Were the women and children guerrillas?
A No, sir.
Q Did they give these men and women and children a trial before they were bayoneted to death?
A No, sir.
CAPTAIN PACE: Thank you very much.
INTERPRETER DIONISIO: What?
CAPTAIN PACE: Were some of the 55 people who were killed women and children?
A There were men, women and children, too.
Q Were the women and children guerrillas?
A No, sir.
Q Did they give these men and women and children a trial before they were bayoneted to death?
A No, sir.
CAPTAIN PACE: Thank you very much.
[p. 2195]
CAPTAIN SANDBERG: Just one more question.
GENERAL REYNOLDS: One more question for the Defense.
GENERAL REYNOLDS: One more question for the Defense.
RECROSS EXAMINATION
Q (By Captain Sandberg) Do you know of any of the cases where children over the age of 10 carried hand grenades?
A I don’t know nothing, sir.
Q Do you know of any cases where women were guerrillas?
A There was one in our town.
CAPTAIN SANDBERG: That’s all.
CAPTAIN PACE: Thank you.
A I don’t know nothing, sir.
Q Do you know of any cases where women were guerrillas?
A There was one in our town.
CAPTAIN SANDBERG: That’s all.
CAPTAIN PACE: Thank you.
(Witness excused.)
Notes & References:
1 “Excerpts from the Testimony of Isidoro Magnaye in U.S.A. v Tomoyuki Yamashita,” part of the U.S. Military Commission compilation of war crimes documentation, online at the Internet Archive.