The Ibaan regiment was organized on January 25, 1943 when a group of Filipino patriots were commissioned by an American colonel to form guerrilla units in Batangas province. Sixto Guerra was chosen to lead the unit comprising the towns of Ibaan and Rosario. The initial organization grew despite difficulties posed by the Japanese military police. During a pacification campaign in 1943, the unit laid down its arms but Col. Guerra reorganized it to continue resisting. The regiment later joined the Batangas Guerrillas organization led by Col. Luansing and Col. Farol.
The Ibaan regiment was organized on January 25, 1943 when a group of Filipino patriots were commissioned by an American colonel to form guerrilla units in Batangas province. Sixto Guerra was chosen to lead the unit comprising the towns of Ibaan and Rosario. The initial organization grew despite difficulties posed by the Japanese military police. During a pacification campaign in 1943, the unit laid down its arms but Col. Guerra reorganized it to continue resisting. The regiment later joined the Batangas Guerrillas organization led by Col. Luansing and Col. Farol.
The Ibaan regiment was organized on January 25, 1943 when a group of Filipino patriots were commissioned by an American colonel to form guerrilla units in Batangas province. Sixto Guerra was chosen to lead the unit comprising the towns of Ibaan and Rosario. The initial organization grew despite difficulties posed by the Japanese military police. During a pacification campaign in 1943, the unit laid down its arms but Col. Guerra reorganized it to continue resisting. The regiment later joined the Batangas Guerrillas organization led by Col. Luansing and Col. Farol.
The organization of the Ibaan unit dates back to January 25,
1943, when a group of patriotic members of the Fil-American Irregular Troops headed by Capt. Jorge D. Espina, was commissioned by Col. Hugh Straughn, USA #02515, to organize guerrilla units in the province of Batangas. To Captain Gregorio Aguado, now Transportation and Communications Officer of this regiment, is due the credit of being the first guerrilla in this town. (See attached enclosure #1). On March 10, 1943, Sixto M. Guerra, now Commanding Officer, because of his military experience, courage and devotion to duty was chosen to head this unit, then comprising the towns of IBAAN and ROSARIO, with the rank of Captain. The initial organization, although made under the most trying circumstances in view of the vigilance of the Japanese Military Police, was a source of great satisfaction because of the spontaneous response of the public in enlisting therein and giving aid and support thereto. The roster of that first organization in Ibaan will follow. This organization, like any other guerrilla organization, has had the fate of losing some of its members and supporters through the activities of spies and the JMP; (attached also is a list of the unfortunate members and supporters who were killed by the enemy, enclosure No. 2).
During the pacification campaign of November, 1943, the
officers and men of this organization, in the interest of the townspeople, whose lives and properties were threatened if the guerrillas would not surrender, laid down their arms. It is noteworthy, however, that the moving spirit behind the organization, instead of dying out, became more fervent and determined to continue the heroic struggle. Col. Guerra reorganized a group of men (See enclosure No. 3) to carry on the work. The guerrilla units in Batangas still intact at that time suffered a great loss in March, 1944 when its head, Jorge Espina, was picked up by the JMP and has been unheard from since then. Deprived of a leader, the different sectors defined in the first organization, now became independent units; each sought attachment with some other guerrilla organization. In this connection, it may be safely stated that all guerrilla units in Batangas Province have their origin from this ill-fated organization. The Ibaan Unit, for a time, remained independent until a bigger organization, the PQOG, headed by Col. Galicano Luansing Jr. in Batangas, threatened to give us trouble if we would not join them. Again, in the interest of saving the town from further miseries and extortion of the latter unit, we were forced to make contact with them.
[p. 2]
At the same time, Col. Guerra, through I. R. Medrano, now
Adjutant and Ex. Officer, made contact with the mother organization of the Fil-Americans, then having a branch office in Malacañan Palace, Manila. Later in August, 1944, the break-up of the PQOG, after all the abuses it had committed, came and Col. Luansing contacted Col. Guerra to join hands with him and Col. I. Farol, Rosario Unit, and the Batangas Guerrillas came into being, the Ibaan Regiment being one of its component units. From then on, the Ibaan Regiment and the Rosario Regiment, the first components of the Batangas Guerrillas, worked as one organization until circumstances and the exigencies of the service forced them to work separately and independently as at present. Our letter of April 5, 1945 outlines in brief the activities of the Ibaan Regiment until the present.
MAIKLING KASAYSAYAN NG IBAAN REGIMENT (Batangas Guerrillas)
Ang organisasyon ng yunit ng Ibaan ay nagsimula noong Enero
25, 1943, nang ang isang grupo ng mga makabayang miyembro ng Fil-American Irregular Troops na pinamumunuan ni Capt. Jorge D. Espina, ay inatasan ni Col. Hugh Straughn, USA #02515, na mag-organisa ng mga yunit gerilya sa lalawigan ng Batangas. Kay Kapitan Gregorio Aguado, ngayon ay Opisyal ng Transportasyon at Komunikasyon ng regimentong ito, ay dahil sa pagkilala sa pagiging unang gerilya sa bayang ito. Noong Marso 10, 1943, si Sixto M. Guerra, ngayon ay Commanding Officer, dahil sa kanyang karanasan sa militar, katapangan at debosyon sa tungkulin ay napiling pamunuan ang yunit na ito, na binubuo noon ng mga bayan ng IBAAN at ROSARIO, na may ranggong Kapitan. Ang paunang organisasyon, bagama't ginawa sa ilalim ng pinakamahirap na kalagayan dahil sa pagbabantay ng Japanese Military Police, ay pinagmumulan ng malaking kasiyahan dahil sa kusang pagtugon ng publiko sa pagsali doon at pagbibigay ng tulong at suporta dito. Susunod ang listahan ng unang organisasyong iyon sa Ibaan. Ang organisasyong ito, tulad ng ibang organisasyong gerilya, ay nagkaroon ng kapalaran na mawala ang ilan sa mga miyembro at tagasuporta nito sa pamamagitan ng mga aktibidad ng mga espiya at JMP;
Sa panahon ng kampanya sa pasipikasyon noong Nobyembre,
1943, ang mga opisyal at tauhan ng organisasyong ito, sa kapakanan ng mga taong-bayan, na ang buhay at ari-arian ay nanganganib kung hindi sumuko ang mga gerilya, ay naglatag ng kanilang mga armas. Kapansin-pansin, gayunpaman, na ang gumagalaw na diwa sa likod ng organisasyon, sa halip na mamatay, ay naging mas maalab at determinadong ipagpatuloy ang magiting na pakikibaka. Si Col. Guerra ay muling nag- organisa ng isang grupo ng mga lalaki upang ipagpatuloy ang gawain. Ang mga yunit ng gerilya sa Batangas ay buo pa rin noong panahong iyon ay dumanas ng malaking kawalan noong Marso, 1944 nang ang pinuno nito, si Jorge Espina, ay dinampot ng JMP at hindi na narinig mula noon. Pinagkaitan ng pinuno, ang iba't ibang sektor na tinukoy sa unang organisasyon, ngayon ay naging mga independiyenteng yunit; bawat isa ay naghanap ng kaugnayan sa ibang organisasyong gerilya. Kaugnay nito, ligtas na masasabi na ang lahat ng yunit ng gerilya sa Lalawigan ng Batangas ay nagmula sa masamang organisasyong ito. Ang Yunit ng Ibaan, pansamantala, ay nanatiling independyente hanggang sa isang mas malaking organisasyon, ang PQOG, na pinamumunuan ni Col. Galicano Luansing Jr. sa Batangas, ay nagbanta na bibigyan tayo ng problema kung hindi tayo sasali sa kanila. Muli, sa interes na mailigtas ang bayan mula sa higit pang mga paghihirap at pangingikil sa huling yunit, napilitan kaming makipag-ugnayan sa kanila.
Kasabay nito, si Col. Guerra, sa pamamagitan ni I. R. Medrano,
ngayon ay Adjutant at Ex. Opisyal, nakipag-ugnayan sa inang organisasyon ng mga Fil-American, noon ay may branch office sa Palasyo ng Malacañan, Maynila.
Nang maglaon noong Agosto, 1944, dumating ang break-up ng
PQOG, pagkatapos ng lahat ng mga pang-aabuso na ginawa nito, at nakipag-ugnayan si Col. Luansing kay Col. Guerra upang makipagtulungan sa kanya at kay Col. I. Farol, Rosario Unit, at sa Batangas Guerrillas. ay nabuo, ang Ibaan Regiment ay isa sa mga bahaging yunit nito. Mula noon, ang Ibaan Regiment at ang Rosario Regiment, ang mga unang bahagi ng Batangas Guerrillas, ay nagtrabaho bilang isang organisasyon hanggang sa ang mga pangyayari at ang mga pangangailangan ng serbisyo ay pinilit silang magtrabaho nang hiwalay at independiyente tulad ng sa kasalukuyan. Ang aming liham noong Abril 5, 1945 ay binalangkas nang maikli ang mga gawain ng Ibaan Regiment hanggang sa kasalukuyan.