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December 30, 2017

Letter of Hunters-ROTC CO to Talisay Regiment CO, December 1944

December 30, 2017
The Laurel Regiment, 45th Division, I Corps of the President Quezon’s Own Guerrillas (PQOG), started as an independently organized unit in Talisay, Alitagtag and Taal under the command of one Amando Laurel of the Municipality of Talisay. Later in the war, this guerrilla unit would become affiliated with the PQOG, a large guerrilla organization that operated in Luzon during the Japanese occupation up to the liberation of Batangas. In this document1, Eleuterio Adevoso, Commanding Officer of the large Luzon-based guerrilla group Hunters-ROTC, wrote to the CO of the Talisay Regiment to inform the letter of the arrival of Major Jay D. Vanderpool of the United States Army to coordinate all guerrilla activities in Southern Luzon and to invite the regiment to affiliate with the Hunters-ROTC.

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UNITED STATES PHILIPPINE ISLANDS FORCES
THE HUNTERS OR ROTC GUERRILLAS
GENERAL HEADQUARTERS

16 December 1944

The Commanding Officer
Talisay Guerrilla Unit

My dear co-guerrillero:

Greetings to you, brother-in-arms!

The bearer of this communication is Major Jacinto del Pilar, Commanding Officer, 49th Regiment, 47th Division of the HUNTERS ROTC GUERRILLAS. He carries with him, besides a self-explanatory message from Major Jay D. Vanderpool, General Staff Corps, U.S.A., GHQ, SWPA Liaison Officer, presently with us in this Headquarters.

We would like to inform you that Major Vanderpool has been assigned to coordinate guerrilla efforts in the area covering Manila, Cavite, Eastern Laguna and Batangas. Other officers have been assigned to other areas of Luzon.

From what we gather after several conferences with Major Vanderpool, it is not the intention of GHQ, SWPA, nor his intention, to maintain liaison and communication with small units because this would involve an enormous amount of work and unnecessary loss of time. His intention is to furnish transmitting and receiving sets, as well as arms and other supplies, mainly to the major guerrilla organizations. The Headquarters of Gen. MacArthur has no intention of forcing small units to join the bigger organizations, but he has suggested that smaller units voluntarily attach themselves to large organizations to simplify coordination problems.

We are therefore taking this opportunity of inviting your Unit to join this organization, so that you may the better serve the country and the cause, and in order that your Unit may be recognized and your services duly rewarded in the near future. It is obvious that all units should act in consonance with orders from GHQ, SWPA. Of course, as a patriotic organization, you can do anything destructive to the Japs. But there are certain things you may do which may be destructive to ulterior plans at D-Day. However, if you are with us, you can be sure that whatever your actions may be or whatever orders may come to you shall

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be in consonance with official orders from GHQ, SWPA. Moreover, at this particular stage of the struggle, there is an imperative necessity for a fusion of all guerrilla forces, in order that a chain of command may be formed, thus coordinating all their activities. And it is for us, Filipino guerrilla leaders, to show to the world that when the need of the hour calls for it, we can forget personal interests for a greater and more glorious cause. We assure you that after we have joined hand in hand, your Unit will receive a proportionally fair amount of supplies and equipment intended for us.

I am sure you will be proud to be one of us. For this organization is one of the oldest in Luzon, having existed even while fighting in Bataan was still going on. It is one of the best guerrilla units, counting upon thousands and thousands of members spread all over Rizal, Laguna, Tayabas, Manila, Cavite, Batangas, Bataan, Zambales, Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija. It is one of the most active organizations, be it in the elimination of spies and other unworthy elements of the country, in combat with the enemy, or in intelligence work for the Allied cause. And, above all, it is one of the most discipline guerrilla organizations, officered as it is by former USAFFE officers, cadets of the Philippine Military Academy and ROTC cadets, professionals and trained civilians. Your Unit would be a most worthy addition to our organization.

We hope you will not fail the cause at this particular period of the country’s history. We shall await your reply.

Meanwhile, please extend my very best regards to all your officers and men.

TERRY MAGTANGGOL
Colonel, Infantry
Commanding


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Notes and references:

1 “Laurel’s Regiment, 45th Division, I Corps, PQOG,” File No. 271-19, online at the United States National Archives.

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