Corregidor Island, Manila Bay, Philippines

Last March, we took a trip back to the Philippines so my wife could visit her family.  It's been a couple of years since we've had the chance to see them and they hadn't had an opportunity to meet Zachary.  The wife's family lives in a suburb of Manila called Taguig City.  So while on the trip, I took a couple of days to slip away and visit Corregidor Island in Manila Bay. Before we get into the trip, let's look a little at the history of the island.

Corregidor Island, which is locally called Isla ng Corregidor, is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon Island. As a result, the island is ideally located to help protect one of the most important harbors in Asia.  Due to this location, the island was fortified with several coastal artillery and ammunition magazines to defend the city of Manila from attacks by enemy warships in the event of war. Located 30 miles (48 kilometers) inland, Manila has been the largest city and the most important seaport in the Philippines for centuries, from the colonial rule of Spain, Japan, and the United States, to the establishment of the Republic of the Philippines in 1946.

Geographically speaking, Corregidor is part of a volcanic crater known as the Corregidor Caldera. This volcano was last active about a million years ago but is still classified by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology as a potentially active volcano.  There are currently 37 identified volcanoes in the Philippines of which only 18 are still active.  The island is best described as being "tadpole-shaped" with the head of the island facing west towards the Philippine Sea. Containing about 2,200 acres of land with dimensions of 4 miles long and 1.2 miles wide at its widest, Corregidor consists of four geographic sections; Topside, Middleside, Bottomside and Tailside.  These names, which were probably given during the American colonial era, are sites of various buildings, gun placements and services offered to American and Filipino soldiers and their families who were stationed on the island. 

The present day name of the island probably emerged during the Spanish colonial era. In Spanish, the word “corregir,” means to correct. One story states that due to the Spanish system wherein all ships entering Manila Bay were required to stop and have their documents checked and corrected, the island was called "Isla del Corregidor" (Island of the Correction). Another version claims that the island was used a penitentiary or correctional institution by the Spanish and came to be called "El Corregidor."  In either case, the island eventually became known by its current name. 

Corregidor played a role in all four of the major eras of Philippine history (Spanish colonial era, American colonial era, Japanese occupation and the modern Republic of the Philippines) but it is its association with World War II that interests me the most. During that, the island was the site of two major pitched battles between the imperial Japanese army and the U.S. Army and its Philippine Army allies.  The first of these battles is, arguably, the most famous. 

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the Japanese turned their attention to closer objectives in Asia, including the Philippines.  The Battle of the Philippines began on December 8, 1941.  Japanese forces, under the command of Lt. Gen. Masaharu Homma, landed in northern Luzon (the largest of more than 7,100 islands) at Lingayen Gulf and quickly pushed down the island using their superior numbers and equipment. 

Lt. Gen. Hasaharu Homma

The U.S. Army forces, under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, used delaying actions to provide time for troops to withdraw into the Bataan Peninsula.  MacArthur attempted to consolidate all of his troops on the Peninsula while establishing his headquarters on Corregidor Island. 

Gen. Douglas MacArthur

From January 7, 1942, until the surrender of the peninsula on April 10, 1942, Japanese and American and Filipino forces fought inflicting heavy casualties on both sides. Eventually, the Allied forces were forced to surrender due to being weakened by severe malnutrition, sickness and the casualties incurred from the prolonged fighting.  Only about 300 men successfully reached Corregidor Island. They arrived to find MacArthur gone. The General had been ordered by President Franklin Roosevelt to relocate to Australia to continue the fight from there.  MacArthur's departure had left Major General Jonathan Wainwright in command. 

Major General Jonathan Wainwright

The ensuing Battle of Corregidor did not last long. The approximate 11,000 Allied personnel defending the island were subject to continuous Japanese aerial bombardment.  Eventually, American and high Filipino officials. including Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon, along with gold, silver and important documents were evacuated from the island,  The final assault on Corregidor began on May 1, 1942, when two battalions of Japanese soldiers established a beachhead on the northeast part of the island and quickly pushed defenders back towards the Malinta Hill stronghold.  On May 6, General Wainwright asked General Homma for terms for surrender. On May 8, Wainwright accepted the terms and the Battle of Corregidor was over. 

Manuel L. Quezon

The defeat was the beginning of three and a half years of harsh treatment for the Allied survivors, including atrocities like the Bataan Death March and the misery of Japanese prison camps. Although the campaign was a victory to the Japanese, it was also a military setback as it took a longer time than anticipated to defeat the Filipinos and Americans. This required forces that would have been used to attack other strategic objectives in Asia and slowed advances in other areas of operation. 

The Allied and the Philippine Commonwealth forces began the campaign to recapture the Philippines in 1944, with landings on the island of Leyte.  Eventually, MacArthur was able to fulfill his famous "I shall return" speech and the Allies defeated the Japanese retaking the Philippines including Corregidor Island. 

Today, Corregidor is basically a museum to the conflicts of  World War II.  There are a number of activities in which one can enjoy including renting ATVs or kayaks, taking a bicycle tour of the island, staying at island's lone hotel, birdwatching or riding a zip line.  I choose to take a packaged tour from Manila offered by Sun Cruises.  I booked the trip about a month before we arrived and also booked a hotel room nearby since it is an early morning departure from Sun Cruise's dock on Manila Bay and I was worried about the traffic coming from Taguig. 

Since I had  made reservations in advance, getting tickets was fairly easy - note that there was a crowded waiting room - and soon I was walking out to the ferry.

We're heading down towards the blue boat on the right.

Upon reaching the ferry, we were ushered down to the lower deck and looked for my assigned seat.

It was rather funny as the front rows - where my seat was located - was primarily inhabited by Americans.  We had obviously purchased in advance and were seated together.  The ride across Manila Bay was smooth and took a little over an hour.  Upon reaching Corregidor, one of the first sights you see is a bunch of bangkas waiting near the main dock. 

After disembarking from the ferry you join up with your assigned tour bus.

These buses are open-air and are equipped with a speaker system which makes it easy to hear the tour guide from all parts of the bus, even near the rear where I stationed myself.

Each of the ten or so buses takes a different route so there is not a traffic jam at any one area.  The most buses that I can recall being at the same place were three.  Our first stop was Lorcha Dock.  This the dock that MacArthur famously departed from Corregidor Island.

The view across Manila Bay to Bataan Peninsula is quite nice.

There is a larger-than-life-sized statue of MacArthur near the dock. 

Here's a little video made while standing on the dock.

After visiting the docks, our next stop was Malinta Tunnel.  This manmade tunnel was the brain of the island during the Japanese attacked. On the tour, they actually charge you extra to view a "show" in the tunnel.  I can't remember how much the ticket was - probably a couple hundred pesos - but do remember people complaining who had bought their tickets in advance as they were significantly more expensive.

The lights are blacked out in the tunnel and there are displays set up in some of the lateral tunnels that accompany a narrative soundtrack which goes over some basic history of how the tunnel was constructed and used during the War. 

My biggest memory of this part of the tour was being blinded by the all of the cell phones that the others in my group were using during the tour.  Most certainly, the selfie stick has become of age as almost everyone but me had one.

After completing the tunnel show, you exit on the downhill side and take a few more pictures before loading back up in the tour bus.

Our next stop was for lunch at the hotel that is on the island.  We learned that they have to generate all of their own energy here.  The hotel is nice and the meal - which was included in the price of the tour - was Filipino fare and served buffet style.

Views from the hotel, both to the east and west were very nice.

 Our front, there is a wall of flowers and a nearby swimming pool.  All-in-all, it is a nice place.

After lunch was over, we continued the tour of the island going up to the lower parade grounds. 

 The lower parade grounds were used as one of the sites that paratroopers used when retaking Corregidor from the Japanese.

After this drive by, we stopped at Middlesides Barracks.

And a little video from this stop.

Our next stop was Battery Way.  These four mortars were at the heart of the defense system at Corregidor.  For more information about the Battery, check out this link. 

 Magazine storage at Battery Way.

The gun emplacements.

Scars from bullets shot by Japanese planes.

This tree grew up around a chuck on concrete.

After spending time at Battery Way, the next stop was at the site of the biggest gun on Corregidor.
Battery Hearn was the site of the largest gun on the island, it was a 12-inch gun that could fire over 29,000 yards - that's about 16 and 1/2 miles!

Right next to the gun emplacement, there is an open bomb crater.

 

 The next stop was TopSide Barracks and the museum.

The old movie theater at TopSide Barracks.

A video taken at the TopSide Barracks:

Next, we were let out at the Peace Sculpture with a fine view out over the ocean.

From the Peace Memorial, you walk up a corridor that contains panels with the names of all the engagements in the Pacific Theater of War. 

Just before reaching the museum, you enter a cupola with this monument.

From the cupola, its just steps away from the Pacific War Museum which is located behind the old movie theater.

  

The museum isn't large, but there are some interesting artifacts.

TopSide Barracks from another vantage point.

 A memorial to American and Filipino soldiers.

The inside of the old movie theater at Topside Barracks.

 The Topside parade grounds.  This was another landing site for paratroopers when the Allies retook Corregidor.

Many of the paratroopers were from Texas A&M university.  This is a memorial to them.

 Miscellaneous buildings at TopSide.

Our next stop was the lighthouse located at the top of the island.

As you take the ferry into Corregidor, this is plainly visible from quite a distance.

Bataan Peninsula off to the north

Way off in the distance, you can barely make out the skyline of Manila.

Cavite province to the south.

The Pacific Ocean

 We headed down towards the Tail of the Island and stopped at this monument along the way.

Our final stop of the day was at a Japanese memorial to the soldiers they lost during the conflict.

After this stop, the bus returned us to the dock and we boarded the ferry back to Manila.  It was a nice, if rather exhausting trip, which I thoroughly recommend.