Testimony of Dionisio Paez of San Jose Batangas on Japanese Atrocities He Experienced in 1945

This page contains the testimony of one Dionisio Paez of San Jose, Batangas on atrocities he himself experienced with his son and grandson. The pages contained herein are now declassified and were part of compiled documentation¹ of war crimes trials conducted by the United States Military Commission after the conclusion of World War II. Most of the testimonies were translated from Tagalog and have been corrected for grammar by Batangas History, Culture and Folklore where possible. The pagination is as it was contained in the original document for citation purposes.

The ruined Municipal Building in San Jose in 1945.  Image credit:  United States National Archives.

[p. 29]

R E S T R I C T E D

Q Please state your full name, age, address and nationality.
A Dionisio Paez, 64 years old, Poblacion, San Jose, Batangas Province, P.I., Filipino.

Q What is your occupation?
A Carpenter.

Q Do you intend to remain at your present address, and if not, how can your whereabouts in the future be ascertained?
A I intend to remain at my present address.

Q Did you suffer any mistreatment at the hands of the Japanese?
A Yes.

Q Please tell us in detail what happened.
A On February 22, 1945, Thursday, 7:30 A. M., my grandson, Victorino Paez, aged 20; my son, Jose Paez, aged 20²; and I saw two Japanese north of our house. We hurriedly left our house and went southward, my son and grandson going first.

Hardly had I gone 15 meters when I saw that they were caught by six Japanese soldiers. One soldier aimed his rifle at me. I went to him and the six brought the three of us to a place where they kept four bags of unhusked rice, and one bag of soap, about 100 meters south of our house.

Here, two Japanese were left to guard us. I told my son and grandson to follow me if I tried to escape. Then, when the guards were not looking at us, I made signs to my son and grandson, and I dashed for freedom. I ran westward to the town, my son ran eastward. I did not see where my grandson went. I heard three rifle shots in my direction, and I saw four Japanese running after my son and shooting at him. However, I was not hit, and my son, I later learned, was not hit, either. That evening, I learned that the Japanese left town.

The next morning, at about 8 o’clock, I looked for the body of my grandson, presuming him to have been caught and killed since he had not joined us. I did not see him. At about 7:30 A. M., Saturday, February 24, 1945, I saw his body among those of 11 men, women and children on the bank of [the] Malaking Tubig River.

My grandson had a wound from a sharp instrument, perhaps a saber, on the left shoulder, and a big bayonet wound on the abdomen. Some of his intestines were protruding from the wound.

Among the bodies I recognized were: Sancho Atienza, aged about 50; Sixto Atienza, aged about 32; Eulogio Atienza, aged 18; Lucita Atienza, aged 27, who was pregnant; Leonardo Atienza, aged 14; and five children, mostly suckling babies, whose names I do not know.

[p. 30]

The next day, February 25, 1945, about 20 meters from the bank of the river where I saw the 11 men, women and children, I found the body of Agapita Hidalgo, aged 45. She, too, had been bayoneted.

Q Where were the bodies buried?
A My grandson was buried in the town cemetery. The ten other bodies were buried in the dugout of the Atienza family in Barrio Taysan.

Q Do you know the names of any of the Japanese who were responsible for the massacre of these 11 people?
A No.

Q Can you describe any of them?
A I cannot describe any of them, but [if] I meet the Japanese who captured my son, grandson, I think I can recognize them.

Q Can you describe the uniforms of these Japanese who captured you?
A They were moss-colored.

Q Can you describe their insignia?
A No. I did not notice them.

Q Do you know to what unit they belonged?
A No.

Q Have you anything else to add to your statement?
A No.

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES

PROVINCE OF BATANGAS

TOWN OF SAN JOSE

[p. 31]

COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES

PROVINCE OF BATANGAS

TOWN OF SAN JOSE

C E R T I F I C A T E

Municipal Bldg., San Jose, Batangas Province, P.I.

/s/ Allen H. Peoples /t/ ALLEN H. PEOPLES, Capt., CAC

27 October 1945

/s/ Charles C. Thompson /t/ CHARLES C. THOMPSON, Capt., TC

Notes and references:
¹ “Documents Pertaining to the Testimony of Dionisio Paez in U.S.A. v Tomoyuki Yamashita,” part of the U.S. Military Commission compilation of war crimes documentation, online at the Internet Archive.
² That Paez’s son and grandson were both aged 20 is curious and possibly a typo.