[TRANSCRIPTION]
The President Quezon’s Own Guerrillas or PQOG was one of the large guerrilla organizations that operated in Southern Luzon during the Japanese occupation and into the liberation of Batangas. It had many affiliated outfits in Batangas, many of which filed for official recognition by the United States Army that they were elements of the Philippine Army in the service of the U.S. Armed forces during the liberation. Among these were Companies A, B, C and D of the 38th Regiment, 35th Division, I Corps of the PQOG. In this page is are transcriptions1 of affidavits submitted to the U.S. Army in support of the application for recognition of the aforementioned companies of the PQOG.
[p. 1]
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES
PROVINCE OF BATANGAS
MUNICIPALITY OF LIPA
A F F I D A V I T
I, JOSE MA. KATIGBAK SR., of legal age, married, director of the Mabini Academy and at present a practicing physician in Lipa, Batangas, after having been duly sworn to in accordance to law depose and say:
That I personally know MAJOR ALODIO L. REYES of the 38th Infantry Regiment, 35th Division, PQOG;
That, during my stay in the barrio of Bulacnin, Lipa, Batangas, sometime in November 1944, I often saw MAJOR ALODIO L. REYES and his band of guerrillas passing our place;
That sometimes I called him and asked him some information about the Japanese;
That they gave us protection by telling us that such and such a person could not be trusted because he was pro-Japanese;
That, after the arrival of the Americans in Lipa (I was then the Mayor of the town during that time) MAJOR ALODIO L. REYES and his men were attached to the 187th Outfit of the 511th Airborne Division that were stationed in the yards of the church as supply guards;
That sometimes I used his men to pursue Japanese stragglers in some barrios of the town of Lipa;
That MAJOR ALODIO L. REYES and his men had caught Makapilis which later on were turned to the CIC in Mataas-na-Kahoy, Batangas;
That some of his men were also used as bridge guards without any compensation.
[Sgd.] JOSE MA. KATIGBAK SR.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES
PROVINCE OF BATANGAS
MUNICIPALITY OF LIPA
SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN TO BEFORE ME on this 2nd day of April 1946. Affiant exhibited his Residence Certificate No. A45999, issued at Lipa, Batangas on January 4, 1946.
[Sgd.] BALDOMERO B. REYES
Notary Public
Until December 31, ’46
Doc. No. 141
Page No. 93
Book No. XVI
SERIES OF 1946.
[p. 2]
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES
CITY OF MANILA
A F F I D A V I T
I, JOSE L. AFRICA, of legal age, Filipino, marries, and with postal address at 1406 Oroquieta, Manila, after having been duly sworn according to law, depose and say:
1. That I personally know Major Aludio Reyes of the Guerrilla Unit known as 38th Inf. Regiment, P-Q-O-G, 35th Division;
2. That I first came to know him as a guerrilla officer sometime in September 1944, when he was just recently commissioned as First Lieutenant;
3. That, subsequently, during the early days of November 1944, I learned from reliable sources that he was promoted to Captain;
4. That since it became widely known in the hometown that he was a guerrilla leader, he was sought by the Japanese Kem-pei, and even his family had to hide in the barrios for fear of repercussions on them;
5. That, during the hectic days of liberation, Captain Reyes and his men rendered invaluable and numberless help and succor to the civilians;
6. That he and his unit also proved of valuable assistance in military operations to American forces, one of the most outstanding of which was acting as guides of the 511th (11th Airborne) Outfit in mopping up Japanese remnants in Malarayat Mountains, in the province of Batangas;
7. That, in view of his services in the field and subsequent thereto to American forces stationed in Lipa, Batangas, Captain Reyes was promoted to Major on March 25, 1945;
8. That Major Reyes’ guerrilla outfit was among those first organized in Batangas, and its record could be vouched [for] by his town-mates.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand in the City of Manila, Philippines this 28th day of March 1946.
[Sgd.] JOSE L. AFRICA
Affiant
SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me in the City of Manila, Philippines this 28th day of March 1946. Affiant exhibited his residence certificate no. A-11930 at Manila on January 8, 1946.
[Sgd.] Nicanor Yñiguez
Notary Public
Until December 31, 1946
Doc. No. 45
Page No. 34
Book No. II
Series of 1946.
[p. 3]
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES
PROVINCE OF BATANGAS
MUNICIPALITY OF LIPA
A F F I D A V I T
I, PEDRO MALABANAN, of legal age, married, proprietor, councilor, instructor and at present residing in Lipa, Batangas, after having been duly sworn in accordance to law, depose and say:
That I know MAJOR ALODIO L. REYES and his men personally of the 38th Infantry Regiment, 35th Division, PQOG;
That, during the period between October 1944 and thereafter, during my stay with my family in the barrio of Malabanan, Lipa, Batangas, I often saw MAJOR ALODIO L. REYES and his men patrolling the said place;
That they stayed in the said barrio for several days because the evacuees in that place asked protection from them against the lawless elements that were very rampant in those days;
That they ate sometimes only once a day because they were ashamed to ask [for] food from the people;
That, during their stay in that place, they didn’t ask for involuntary support but they were voluntarily given by the people;
That, on several occasions, they were able to give us some valuable information about the movements of the Japanese;
That their camp was situated in the barrio of Magapi more or less two kilometers away from our place.
[Sgd.] PEDRO MALABANAN
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES
PROVINCE OF BATANGAS
MUNICIPALITY OF LIPA
SWORN TO AND SUBSCRIBED BEFORE ME in the Municipality of Lipa, Batangas on this 30th day of March, 1946, the affiant exhibited to me his residence certificate A-2344158, issued at Lipa, Batangas on May 4, 1945.
[Sgd.] JOSE M. KALAW
Notary Public
Until December 31, 1946
Notes and references:
1 “Co’s A, B, C, D, 38
th Inf Regt, 35
th Div, I Corps, PQOG,” File No. 271-14, online at the United States National Archives.
