Bridging the Gap
Children in the Guerilla war in Panay in WW II
Wars since time immemorial have always been part of human history. So with child soldiers who were unfortunately drawn into a terrible game called war. History attests to the fact that there is nothing new about child soldiers. This is so because in the past, children at a certain age level were already considered as young adults even before reaching the age of eighteen years, thus, the sight of them fighting in the battlefields of yesteryears was less abhorrent. For instance, in the 13th century, thousands of boys, and even girls, from many parts of Europe were gathered and sent to the Holy Land to fight the conquering Muslims. This is what is referred to as the Children's Crusades in European history.
In the Philippines, there were many cases of children deeply involved in the bitter struggle against the Spaniards during the Philippine Revolution and the Americans in the Filipino-American war. This sad involvement of children in war was repeated during the Japanese occupation and still continues to be so in the countryside insurgency today in the country.
In the case of the Japanese occupation, in a twenty-page Japanese military publication dealing with the trial of captured guerillas and their civilian sympathizers at the height of the guerilla warfare in 1942-1945, of the 678 convicted Filipino rebels, 49 of them were children. Of the 49, five were sentenced to death, including a 17-year old girl. The ages of the children ranged from 14-17, and most of them belonged to a family of farmers and laborers (Willoughby 1972).
In Panay, there were about 100 children who participated in the guerilla was against the Japanese (Apin 1998). The reasons or causes why these children joined the struggle were varied. The economic condition of the island at that time led children to join the guerilla groups. A guerilla unit can furnish food, shelter and clothing. Participation in guerilla activities also served as a protection or shield against intimidation from armed forces for themselves and for their families. The guerilla furthermore provided alternative family structure and support for those who had been abandoned, separated, and orphaned as a result of the fighting.
Still, there were other reasons why children volunteered to join the guerilla war against the enemies. The indoctrination made by institutions like the public schools and the Boy Scout organization in the promotion of patriotism was one. Then, there was the fascination associated with military uniforms and weapons that lured children towards participation. Some were also excited about the prospect of power, of having others to respect them. Of course, there were cases where children were coerced in joining the guerilla movement because of the indispensable roles that they performed.
The usual responsibilities assigned by the adult guerillas to children were serving as messengers or doing intelligence work, since children are less conspicuous. Without the children, intelligence operations would have been less effective since children could easily infiltrate enemy occupied areas. Without them, delivering messages would have been much slower and more risky. Numerous military commanders also allowed children to participate in battle, because children were generally not afraid. Some of the children also acted as combat medical personnel and others served as cooks, orderlies, and water boys. Moreover, the children were also the "workhorse", helping the guerillas do household chores, clean weapons, carry supplies and guard mobile posts and camps (Apin 1998).
It can truly be said that the children were partly responsible in improving the capabilities of the Panay guerillas in fighting and harassing the Japanese. With children doing practically all the rear echelon duties, as well as some combat, signal and intelligence assignments, the guerillas were able to concentrate the bulk of their forces in engaging the Japanese. The children, therefore, played very significant roles in the guerilla war effort. As such, these child guerillas must be given recognition as among the many great actors in shaping Panay's history and that of the country as a whole.