Col. Ryoichi Tozuka signs the surrender instrument as Col. Raymond G. Stanton looks on. Cabatuan Airfield Barrio Tiring, Cabatuan, Iloilo Panay Island, Philippines, September 2, 1945 - o -

Postwar intersection at Plazoleta Gay, Iloilo city. Page 13 5.4 The Punitive Expedition at Tablas Island Many guerrillas had purportedly escaped to Tablas Island. Here, the base of the main force was in Despojol while that of the Fujii Company was in Odiongan. Local people expressed allegiance, and offered accommodation and food. Everyday, Captain Watanabe dispatched many soldiers in search of guerrillas, but they could not get any information. In the quest for guerrilla subjugation, I once visited the Fujii Company in Odiongan. They all looked relaxed with plenty of food offered by local residents. Compared with the gloomy Captain Watanabe, 1st Lieutenant Fujii was a cheerful and jovial man. This was probably the reason why both the soldiers and the local people were in a bright mood. They invited us to stay overnight for a welcome dance party. Around 40 men and women gathered that evening, and with wonderful music played by a band, the dancing lasted until midnight. Although it was a welcome dance party for the Japanese Army, I was the only one who could dance, the other Japanese soldiers were simply onlookers. In our worn and messy clothes after months of living in the mountains, we all looked like uncivilized barbarians who stepped into a party. The main unit led by Captain Watanabe did not produce any results while the Fujii Company was able to bring in 30 POWs–including Sergeant Ramon Lopez, the Mayor of Odiongan who surrendered to 1st Lieutenant Fujii. Outraged by Fujii’s accomplishment, Captain Watanabe summoned Fujii into his room, yelled at him and beat him, for the reason that ‘Fujii should have been more obedient to orders.’ The battalion commander was in the next room but showed no concern for this incident. We boarded a motorized sailboat at Looc and returned to the town of New Washington on Panay Island from where we had taken a boat to Tablas. We were surprised by the burnt and ruined settlement. While the Japanese Army was away, guerrillas had set fire to it in retaliation for the residents’ alleged cooperation with the Japanese Army. In the face of this disaster, the local people could only flee as soon as they saw the Japanese Army. While the main force was in Tablas, Yoshioka’s 4th Company had subjugated guerrillas around the town of Alfonso Doce in Capiz. By mid-December, with barely enough food and amidst the heavy seasonal rains, the company crossed the mountain range between the provinces of Capiz and Antique and advanced towards the town of Pandan.