Testimony of Desiderio Barcelos of Rosario, Batangas on Japanese Atrocities He Witnessed in 1945
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Photo taken during the war crimes trials in Manila. Image credit: U.S. National Archives. |
[p. 3]
Q Please state your full name, age, address and nationality.
A Desiderio Barcelos, 65 years old, and I live at Barrio Bagong Pooc, Rosario, Batangas, P. I. I am Filipino
Q What is your occupation?
A I am a farmer.
Q Did you suffer any mistreatment at the hands of the Japanese?
A No.
Q Did you observe any cases of mistreatment by the Japanese?
A Yes. Between 7 and 8 o’clock in the morning of March 13, 1945, I heard that the Japanese were coming to our Barrio, and when I heard shots, I ran into the woods on the outskirts of the Barrio to hide. I could not see anything from my hiding place.
I left my hiding place late in the afternoon and went to the center of the Barrio. I saw 14 dead bodies lying on the ground near the houses in the Barrio. I saw the dead bodies of my daughter, Saturnina Barcelos, aged 30; and two of my granddaughters, Marieta de Castro, aged 3; and Lolita de Castro, aged 1. The bodies all had been bayoneted and they had been burned.
Q Did you see any Japanese present at the Barrio in the morning of March 13, 1945?
A I saw two Japanese, but they were about 200 meters away from me and I only could get a glimpse of them. I cannot describe them.
Q Do you know any Filipinos who actually saw the Japanese bayonet any of the Filipinos, or who were present inside the Barrio at the time the Japanese entered the Barrio?
A No. All of those that were inside the Barrio were killed by the Japanese.
Q Is there anything further that you can add to this statement?
/t/ DESIDERIO BARCELOS
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES
PROVINCE OF BATANGAS
TOWN OF ROSARIO
/t/ DESIDERIO BARCELOS
/t/ JAMES P. HEALEY, JR. 1ST LT., JAGD
[p. 4]
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES
PROVINCE OF BATANGAS
TOWN OF ROSARIO
/t/ JOSE B ZUÑO
/t/ JAMES P. HEALEY, JR. 1ST LT., JAGD
Municipal Bldg., Rosario, Batangas Province, P.I. |
/s/ James P. Healey, Jr. /t/ JAMES P. HEALEY, JR. 1st LT., JAGD |
NAME
Mariano de Castro |
AGE
55 |
ADDRESS
Barrio Itlugan Rosario, Batangas, P.I. |
NATIONALITY
Filipino |
1 “Excerpts from the Testimony of Desiderio Barcelos in U.S.A. v Tomoyuki Yamashita,” part of the U.S. Military Commission compilation of war crimes documentation, online at the Internet Archive.