Testimony of Maxima Umali of San Jose, Batangas on Japanese Atrocities in her Town in 1945 - Batangas History, Culture and Folklore Testimony of Maxima Umali of San Jose, Batangas on Japanese Atrocities in her Town in 1945 - Batangas History, Culture and Folklore

Testimony of Maxima Umali of San Jose, Batangas on Japanese Atrocities in her Town in 1945

Batangas History
1 Dec, 2017

[TRANSCRIPTION]

This page contains the testimony of one Maxima Umali of San Jose, Batangas on atrocities committed by the Japanese in her town 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. 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.

Manila War Crimes Trial US Army
Photo taken during the war crimes trials in Manila.  Image credit:  U.S. National Archives.

[p. 7]

R E S T R I C T E D

MAXIMA UMALI, after having been duly sworn, testified at the Municipal Building of San Jose, Batangas Province, P.I., on 29 October 1945, as follows:

Q Please state your full name, age, address and nationality.
A Maxima Umali, 49 years old, Poblacion, San Jose, Batangas Province, P.I., Filipino.

Q Is this your permanent address?
A Yes sir.

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 What is your occupation?
A Housekeeper.

Q Are you the sister of Modesta Umali Remo?
A Yes, I am her sister.

Q Were you with the searching party that found the remains of three persons on 30 May 1945 at the sitio of Ambonambon in the barrio of Pinagtungulan, Batangas Province?
A Yes, I was one of the searching party that found the remains of my brother-in-law, the parish priest and the clerk of the court, all of San Jose, Batangas Province.

My sister, Modesta Umali Remo, asked me to go along with four others — my uncle, Esteban Remo; my cousin, Eugenio Remo; Paz Talag; and Eliseo de Leon to a place in barrio Pinagtungulan where one Gavino Guce said that there were some remains of dead persons which he thought were the remains of my sister’s husband, the parish priest, and the clerk of the court.

We five went to the sitio of Ambonambon in the barrio of Pinagtungulan on 30 May 1945 and at the place where we were directed by Gavino Guce, we discovered the remains of three persons.

Q Did you recognize the remains as those of your sister’s husband, the parish priest and the clerk of the court?
A Yes, we recognized the remains of the husband of my sister, Venancio REMO, by means of the large forehead which we were all familiar with and the familiar characteristics of the bridge of his nose. We recognized the remains of the parish priest, Vicente FRANDI, by means of his false teeth which his servant, Eliseo de Leon, a male about 23 years old, who was then with us, confirmed as that of his master’s. We recognized the remains of the clerk of court, Jose TALAG, by his teeth which were overlapping and protruding. We five returned the remains of all three back to my sister’s house, who buried the remains of all three in the cemetery in San Jose.

Q Do you know who killed these three persons?
A No

[p. 8]

R E S T R I C T E D

Q Do you know the names of any of the Japanese who were in San Jose at that time, or can you describe any of them?
A No.

Q Have you anything further to add to your statement?
A No, I have nothing further to add.

/s/ Maxima Umali
/t/ MAXIMA UMALI

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES

PROVINCE OF BATANGAS

TOWN OF SAN JOSE

I, MAXIMA UMALI, being duly sworn on oath, state that I had read and understood the translation of the foregoing transcription of my interrogation and all answers contained therein, consisting of two (2) pages, are true to the best of my knowledge and belief.
/s/ Maxima Umali
/t/ MAXIMA UMALI
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 1st day of November, 1945.
/s/ Allen H. Peoples
/t/ ALLEN H. PEOPLES
Capt., CAC
Investigating Officer, War Crimes
Investigating Detachment.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES

PROVINCE OF BATANGAS

TOWN OF SAN JOSE

I, GUILLERMO F. MARIANO, residing at 96 Loreto, Sampaloc, Manila, 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 2 pages, to the witness; that the witness thereupon in my presence affixed her signature thereto.
/s/ Guillermo F. Mariano
/t/ GUILLERMO F. MARIANO

[p. 9]

R E S T R I C T E D

Subscribed and sworn to this 1st day of November, 1945.
/s/ Allen H. Peoples
/t/ ALLEN H. PEOPLES, Capt. CAC
Investigating Officer, War Crimes
Investigating Detachment.

CERTIFICATE

We, ALLEN H. PEOPLES, Capt., 0249524, CAC, personally appeared before me MAXIMA UMALI, and according to GUILLERMO F. MARIANO, and gave the foregoing answers to the several questions set forth therein; that after her testimony had been transcribed, the said MAXIMA UMALI had read to her by the said interpreter the same and affixed her signature thereto in my presence.
Municipal Bldg., San Jose,
Batangas Province, P.I. 		/s/ Allen H. Peoples
/t/ ALLEN H. PEOPLES, Capt., CAC

1st November 1945

Notes & References:
This transcription is of a file containing transcripts of the War Crimes Trials in Manila post World War II, originally downloaded from the Internet Archives.
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