JOSEFA LLANES ESCODA: SPIRITUAL LEADER OF THE UNDERGROUND during World War II in The Philippines. By 1944, news of the underground activities of Josefa Llanes Escoda and her husband Antonio reached far and wide. As the Japanese Occupation stretched on, Josefa Llanes Escoda and Antonio had intensified their smuggling activities of sending medicines, clothings, messages, and foodstuff to both Filipino war prisoners and American internees in concentration camps. How Josefa Llanes Escoda and her husband Antonio exactly died, nobody will ever know. But what is known was how the Japanese put to death civilians and guerillas alike. Towards 1945, Japanese atrocities escalated. An order from the High Command directed soldiers to execute all non-Japanese in Fort Santiago (where the Escodas were imprisoned). There was whole-sale massacre all around. The soldiers bayoneted, machine-gunned and shot civilians. They threw grenades at them, burned their houses and mutilated them. Fort Santiago prisoners were executed and beheaded. Lt. Jose L. Llanes, a courageous intelligence officer who was a commander of Ilocos Norte and Northern Ilocos Sur, called Josefa Llanes Escoda: The Spiritual Leader of our underground. He said he saw Josefa Llanes Escoda on 14 January 1944 in the presence of her husband, Tony Escoda. Josefa Llanes Escoda left this last message to Lt. Jose L. Llanes: I have done my duty to my country and God! To my mind the most I have done is having helped with the little I could do to save the lives of the surrendered soldiers of Bataan and Corregidor. I have offered myself as a guarantor for men later released by the enemy, that they commit no anti-Japanese act, men who, if they had the guts left would continue their resistance. I have acted as guarantors not only for the sake of humanity but also to encourage them to fight again. If you happen to survive, and I fail, tell our people that the women of The Philippines did their part also in making the ember sparks of truth and liberty alive till the last moment. [2] A street and a building have been named after her and a monument has been dedicated to her memory. She is also depicted on the current 1000-peso bill as one of three Filipinos martyred by the Japanese Armed Forces. Josefa Llanes Escoda has: eight grandchildren; and has three great-granddaughters; two of whom live in the U.S., in New York City and San Francisco; one lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 16:10:55 +0000
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