After the successes with the battle of the POINTS and the POCKETS, by Mid-February 1942,

General Homma’s troops suffered immense casualties amounting to 2, 275 KIA (Killed in
Action) & 4, 049 wounded while the Bataan Defenders still managed to hold their ground
despite the continuous barrage of attacks from the Japanese. However, other countries like
Guam, Singapore, Malaya, & Wake Island were eventually trampled by the technologically
advanced equipment of warfare the Japanese owned.
With the failure to invade Bataan after 45 days hanging above General Homma’s head like a
mockery, he decided to pull back and await further reinforcements. While they recovered, Japan
started to spread leaflets, its main goal to sow discord between America and the Philippines.
This consisted of dropping leaflets like "MacArthur's Tricks", or leaflets containing pictures of
women and families, making the troops feel homesick, and it also encouraged Filipinos to join
the Japanese forces, rather than “waiting to die” for endless war.
Amidst this, the Americans also started to spread their propaganda to the troops using
broadcasting about the voice of freedom using radio stations, with the voices of Lt. Norman
Reyes for the English broadcast, and Lt. Francis Isidoro for the Tagalog broadcast. Though it
was a hoax, a lie as their propaganda was that a convoy, or reinforcements were coming to
save them. but the US has decided to make them the sacrificial lambs in their long game of
chess and rivalry. The US poured its remaining resources into Britain, perhaps abandoning the
remaining American troops to die like cows at the slaughterhouse.
As Lester Tenney (Sgt. of the 192nd tank battalion) recounted, food supply was low and they
were forced to eat iguanas, snakes, and the like to survive. They have also resorted to eating
their horses in the face of everything to delay the inevitable famine. It got so bad to the point the
troops got malaria and had to set up a cemetery to bury their comrades.
Frustrated by the inaction of the American govt, President Quezon declared the
Philippines to be independent and neutral and ordered both American and Japanese forces out
of the country. US President Roosevelt disapproved of this which led Quezon to remark "How
typically American to anguish over the fate of a distant cousin (Britain), while a daughter (the
Philippines) is being raped in the back room."
After this, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered General Douglas A. MacArthur, field
marshal to the Philippine army and general of the army of the United States, to relocate to
Australia. On March 11, MacArthur and his staff successfully departed by PT Boats, led by
Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley, USN (United States Navy), for a journey in stormy seas. When
arriving in Australia, MacArthur said, "I came through and shall return." He then handed the
command over to General Wainwright in the meantime as General Edward King was named
as the commander of the Bataan forces.
President Quezon was also forced to evacuate the Philippines, relocating to the US with the use
of a submarine and setting up a government-in-exile with headquarters in Washington, DC.
However, Quezon had originally declined MacArthur’s request to withdraw from the capital,
claiming that his first duty was to take care of the civilian population and maintain public order
while MacArthur was fighting the enemy. But he was eventually forced to leave.

From there, General Jonathan Wainwright led the Filipino soldiers, U.S. Army, Navy, and Nurses
to defend the garrison. Despite a severe lack of food and water, the forces did their best to hold
out.