The Freedom Fighter(2)

The Freedom Fighter(2)

I received today the dreaded call. Mang Max, passed away today January 20, 2010.

Yesterday I fought back  tears when I saw a proud Filipino veteran in his hospital bed in pain. But i didn't dare to show it.

The once, jolly man who loved horses , who was a fixture in the Mcdonald’s Alvarado outlet ( which we fondly called the veterans HQ)  lied in his bed fighting for his life. Now he is at peace.

At the age of 14. a native of Sampaloc, Manila,  he went with the American and Filipino forces in their drive to stamp out the Japanese fascist invaders out of Manila, after the US forces liberated the northern half of Manila. The American soldiers brought him although he was underage because he speaks fluent English. That was a rarity in the occupied Philippines then among young Filipinos.

 He went with up to the high mountains of Penablanca  and deep valleys of Cagayan to pursue  the recalcitrant Nippon soldiers who fought them until the Emperor called them out to surrender. They flushed out the snipers in Callao caves  up to the jagged mountains of Baggao

He was with General Dalton of the US Army  at the Battle of Balite Pass when he was killed by Japanese snipers in Balete Pass ( now called Dalton Pass in Nueva Vizcaya ). Dalton  was hit in the eye by a sniper during the turbulent battle.

He was assigned to the Triple A. that’s he fondly  called his unit- the Anti Aircraft Artillery battery that guards the skies against Kamikaze pilots during the Battle for the Philippines in that battle.

Together with his brother, he was enlisted to the new Philippine Scouts and was admitted to the US Army to act garrison guards in Okinawa and was ready to assault Japan for the great invasion. But when the war ended they were honorably discharged.

 He went back to civilian life and went on to be a logging conscessionaire in Mindanao. He raised a family and sired a lot of daughters.

When martial law came, he did not take it stride. He became an ardent supporter of the anti-Marcos underground. And as a veteran, he  cannot take the oppression that a fellow veteran imposed on his fellow Filipinos. He became again a freedom fighter. This time not against the Japanese but against a  Filipino dictator.

Until the time came when he heard that the United States allowed veterans to be American citizens to emigrate to the mainland. He tried his luck and because his papers are all in order he went to the United States in 1992.

He suffered the indignities of a second-class citizen. With no relatives in his first destination in San Francisco, he went to LA to find other contact. Luckily, he met people from BAYAN-International USA ( now the Alliance-Philippines) who took care of him. He stayed in a garage turned into a rental unit at a back house in Pilipinotown until SIPA helped him to get a decent senior housing.

He joined the veterans under the Kilusang Disyembre 7   or the December 7th Movement (D7M) that People’s CORE formed in 1993  that later became the Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) in 1998. He was ever present in rallies, demonstrations, petitions, forums and mass actions that JFAV called. He slowed down because he was already 86 years old.

He was always ever present in Santa Anita for he loved horses as he loved his people who he fought for against the Japanese invaders in World War II and the US-Marcos dictatorship form 1972-1986.

I made it a point to always passed by the HQ and we talked over a cup of coffee. He always buy me one before I go to my usual routine of outreach. Until I got an urgent call that he was in the hospital.

He was happy because he received his lump sum. He was lucky because he was in the “Missouri List”  But  he continued  fighting for others who have not received theirs and who were denied their benefits.

 Mang Max fought the good fight. Like other veterans who waiting for their time, the vanishing breed. Whom the American called "The Greatest generations" but still refused to honor. He is still fighting for what the veterans believed what is due to them- full recognition, justice and benefits.

We salute you Mang Max.

And even you did  beat that heart attack of yours, your heart will keep beating for all the Filipino masses you loved and who loved you!

Paalam!