2nd Testimony of Juan K. Solis on Japanese Atrocities Committed in Taal, Batangas in 1945

Photo taken during the war crimes trials in Manila. Image credit: U.S. National Archives.

witness for the prosecution, being first duly sworn, testified as follows:

Q Will you state your name, please?
A Juan K. Solis, 49 years of age, married, at present Justice of the Peace of the municipalities of San Luis and Lemery, province of Batangas and resident of the Taal town.
Q In the month of May 1945, did you hold any official position in the town of Taal?
A Yes, sir, I was the mayor of Taal at that time.
Q Were you also the mayor of the municipality of Taal?
A Taal alone, I was the mayor.
Q I show you what purports to be a record of deaths and ask you if you can tell us what it is?
A That is the partial report submitted by my office to the Provincial Governor’s Office of the number of persons killed by the Japanese during the month of February; to be exact, on the 16^th, 17^th and 18^th of February 1945.
Q And is the signature appearing thereon your signature?
A This is my own signature.
Q And this document consists of one, two, three, four pages and the signature on each of these pages is yours?
A The signature appearing — all the signatures appearing on the four pages are mine.

Q The document reads deaths and houses burned by the Japanese in the province of Batangas. What do the words “and houses burned” refer to?
A The number of houses and the houses burned.
Q I will ask the question in a different form. Are the four pages of the document — .

MR. MORRISON: If the Commission please, the defense objects at this time to any mention of houses burned as there is no mention in the charge. There is no accusation that these accused burned any houses of Filipinos or any others. They are charged solely with killing Filipinos and unarmed civilians.

COLONEL HAMBY: The law member will rule.

COLONEL POBLETE: Objection overruled. The witness may answer.

Q I will ask the question again, Judge. The document I have shown you, is that a part of an annex or portion of some other reports which include houses burned, but the document which you have shown us only refers to deaths, is that correct?
A This record only covers the deaths. The houses are not covered by this report.
Q Then the words “and houses burned” should be stricken out to make it a correct record?
A This is only the deaths.

MR. GUTHRIE: We offer in evidence, as prosecution’s Exhibit No. 4, the document just testified to by this witness with the exception of the words “and

houses burned.”

MR. MORRISON: The defense objects to the admission of the document, if the Commission please, unless this witness has personal knowledge that such people were actually killed by the Japanese. In the absence of such knowledge, the defense does not object to the admission of the document, provided that the words “killed by Japanese or by Japanese” be stricken.

MR. GUTHRIE: The objection of the defense, I think, goes more to the weight of the testimony rather than to the admissibility or materiality. I believe before I finish my examination of this witness, its materiality will be sufficiently established. I can’t put my case all in one moment or one question.

MR. MORRISON: If the Commission please, the defense believes that this has nothing to do with materiality. Such a list mentioned so many people were killed by Japanese. It was compiled by this witness. Unless he has actual, personal knowledge himself of these killings, the defense believes that the words “by Japanese” should be stricken and if so stricken, the defense has no objection to the admission of this list. There is no proof whatsoever that these people were killed by Japanese.

COLONEL HAMBY: The law member will rule.

COLONEL POBLETE: I will ask the witness, was this report submitted by you in your official capacity as the mayor of the town of Taal?

THE WITNESS: Yes, sir.

COLONEL POBLETE: Objection overruled. The document will be received in evidence.

(Prosecution’s exhibit
No. 4 received in evidence.)

Q Judge Solis, state to the Commission the manner in which that report was compiled under your supervision.
A During the latter part of the month of May, I received orders from the Provincial Governor to submit a report on the number of houses [burned] and people killed by the Japanese during the massacre on the 16^th, 17^th and 18^th of February, 1945. In compliance with that order, I requested the Barrio Lieutenants of our municipality to report on this matter in their respective barrios. In my personal report, which has been submitted to the honorable Commission, was a partial list of the reports handed to me by the Barrio Lieutenants.
Q Then the deaths of the persons named in that report were investigated by the Barrio Lieutenants and a report of that investigation was made to you by submitting the names appearing on Prosecution’s Exhibit No. 4?
A Yes, sir, I believe that [the] report was made in their official capacity as Barrio Lieutenants.
Q You stated a moment ago that this report is a partial report. Can you state how complete it is, say, in percentages?
A I think that report only represented about twenty or twenty-five per cent of the total deaths in our municipality.
Q Will you state upon what you base that statement, what information you have or knowledge you have?
A I made the estimation because when the report was

made, most of the people were in our municipality evacuation places so that a very, very small portion of the actual deaths were submitted at that time.

MR. GUTHRIE: The defense may cross-examine.

Q Judge Solis, did you see any of the persons who are mentioned in that list actually killed by a Japanese?
A No, sir, but I saw some persons wounded.
Q That is enough. You never saw anyone mentioned on that list killed by a Japanese, did you?
A No, sir, I did not see anyone.
Q If that report, as you state, covers approximately twenty-five per cent of the deaths, why wasn’t some notation made on the list?
A You know, after, I did not stay very long in my office. About six months after I resigned, and another mayor continued the work.
Q What was your position at the time of the Japanese Occupation in the municipality of Taal?
A At the outbreak of the war, I was the auxiliary Justice of the Peace of the municipalities of Lemery and Taal and during the occupation, I held the office of the Municipal Secretary. I held the same position as the Municipal Secretary during the liberation – after the liberation, on May 10, I was designated mayor of the town of Taal until my resignation on November 11, 1945.
Q In other words, you were working for a puppet of the

Japanese, wasn’t that true?
A Yes, sir.
Q Now you, according to what you have just stated, are very informed as to conditions around Taal and the neighboring barrios. In view of that, will you state how active guerrilla units were at those places?

MR. GUTHRIE: May I object to that? The question is objected to in that it is outside the scope of the direct examination. This witness was not questioned in any wise concerning the subject matter of that question. It is improper cross-examination.

MR. MORRISON: If the Commission, please, this man has testified to deaths by the Japanese. The defense would like to bring out the fact that the guerrillas were very active in those places and it is quite possible that many deaths were caused by guerrillas and, furthermore, the fact of guerrilla warfare is very relevant to this case.

COLONEL HAMBY: The law member will rule.

COLONEL POBLETE: Objection sustained. The witness will not answer.

MR. MORRISON: That is all I have, sir.

COLONEL HAMBY: Any questions by the Commission?

MR. MORRISON: Did I understand you to say, sir, that the witness may answer?

COLONEL POBLETE: He will not answer.

MR. MORRISON: Very well.

COLONEL HAMBY: Any questions by the Commission? There appears to be none. The witness is excused.

(Witness excused.)

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