Speech
of
His Excellency Fidel V. Ramos
President of the Philippines
At the 50th Anniversary of the Retaking of Corregidor Island

[Released on February 16, 1995]

Rock of freedom

WE GATHER HERE TODAY to honor and rededicate ourselves to the ideals of the gallant men who, on this day half a century ago, conducted shore-to-shore and airborne assaults on Corregidor, recaptured this historic island, cleared the Manila Bay area, and finally opened the ports of Manila to the world.

It was a momentous, shining day of triumph in the history of the Philippine liberation campaign.

The successful assaults

The retaking of Corregidor accelerated the pace of the victorious march of the Allies in the Philippines and the rebirth of our republic.

For as long as the invasion force controlled the island, Allied ships were at the mercy of enemy guns strategically positioned in the island-fortress and could not enter Manila.

But in mid-February 1945, two regimental combat teams, the 1st RCT and the 151st RCT, secured the southern half of the Bataan Peninsula with the help of Filipino guerrillas.

Then amphibious assaults on Corregidor began on February 16, led by the 3rd Battalion of the U.S. 34th Infantry Division.

On the same day, planes carrying the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, led by Colonel George Jones, mounted at Mindoro, dropped combat paratroopers at the topside area of Corregidor starting at 8:30 A.M. This was the great surprise—what proved eventually to be the big difference.

By the end of the day, the airborne force had captured the topside area. The amphibious force for its part had seized Malinta Hill. Ten days of intense infighting followed.

By February 27 organized resistance on Corregidor had ceased.

The use of the airborne troops proved effective, for the defenders, noting the obvious difficulties and hazards of dropping paratroopers on the island, never expected such a daring attack. The combined shore-to-shore and airborne assaults caught the defenders by surprise, and the island fell quickly.

The recapture of Corregidor was both a bold but well-calculated feat of daring and, more important, a rousing symbol of the restoration of Allied supremacy in this part of the Pacific.

Three years before—on May 6, 1942—the Allied forces were humbled when Corregidor fell and nearly 12,000 Filipino and American soldiers were taken prisoner.

Day off vindication

Before that defeat, Corregidor—also known as “The Rock”—was the seat of the Government of the Philippine Commonwealth under President Manuel L. Quezon and the general headquarters of General Douglas MacArthur.

It was the last bastion of the resistance against the invasion forces. As long as The Rock held fast against the incessant attacks and artillery barrages of the enemy, the fighting spirit of the Filipino fighters elsewhere in the country could not be broken and the resistance movement intensified.

The recapture of Corregidor therefore was a day of vindication for the Allied forces, and for the Philippine Government, whose authority was thus symbolically restored.

Today, fifty years later, we are again fighting another war, but this time to win the battle for a better future for our children and the generations after them. It is a war against poverty, injustice, deprivation and social inequity that block the way to our full development and liberation.

This new challenge requires from us no less than the same fortitude, heroism and sacrifice of those stalwart warriors of fifty years ago who gambled their lives on The Rock—and emerged victorious.

In the face of today’s intense economic competition and geopolitical realities in our changing world, the Filipino people have stood by their friends and neighbors in Asia-Pacific and their old allies, especially the United States, which gave much needed help during our most trying time.

Pointing out the folly of war

And to our former foes, we have extended the hand of reconciliation for the sake of friendship, cooperation and peace.

We commemorate the recapture, fifty years ago, of Corregidor, not to reopen old wounds caused by war, but to point out the folly of war and stress how much more nations can benefit if they work together, help each other, and together promote peace and progress.

Because of the heroic sacrifices and noble deeds of the liberators of The Rock, we enjoy today a legacy of freedom and democracy. This is our greatest weapon in the struggle to achieve our shared vision of “Philippines 2000” within the environment of a peaceful and dynamic but intensely competitive Asia-Pacific region.

As we all continue to work for the greater good of country and people, we shall forever remember Corregidor, our rock of freedom, and what it symbolizes.