A Guerilla Leader and Martyr:
General Guillermo Nakar
January 10, 1905 - October 2, 1943
Who was Guillermo Penamante Nakar?
1st Guerilla Regiment and 14th Infantry
Born on June 10, 1906 - Barrio Anoling, Infanta, Quezon
Graduated from Philippine Constabulary Academy
in 1932.
- January 13, 1942, the regiment’s first battalion attacked the town of Tuguegarao, Cagayan and an adjacent airfield, killing around 100 Japanese soldiers and destroying three enemy planes on the ground.
- 14th Infantry was born due to this move where he made life difficult for the enemy and pinned down many of its troops that were badly needed elsewhere
- He conducted raids on enemy garrisons and ambushed Japanese patrols
- When Corregidor fell on May 6, 1942, followed by Bataan, on May 9, Nakar refused to surrender.
- He kept the 14th Infantry intact, resisting all attempts of the Japanese to destroy the guerilla movement
- He organized an effective intelligence system, which covered the provinces of Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and Pangasinan
He was a short, muscular individual with a military bearing.
- He was already a Philippine Constabulary Captain when World War II broke out in 1941
- He served under the 71st Infantry of USAFFE based on Northern Luzon
- Sudden landings of the Japanese Imperial Army in Aparri, Cagayan caught the USAFFE by surprise
- Nakar led his men out of Bauang Bay in La Union to avoid being circled and arrived in Aritao, Nueva Vizcaya
- 1st Guerilla Regiment - he organized the combined units to form a guerilla force with Nakar as lieutenant colonel. It was one of the early underground resistance groups formed during the war.
Immediate Family
Wife: Angelina Coronel Nakar
Children: (two sons) Guillermo "Willy" Jr, Wilfredo, and (daughter) Cleofe "Eo"
General Douglas MacArthur
- “MacArthur, His Rendezvous with History” - Maj. Gen. Courtney Whitney: a virtual wall of silence appeared to enshroud the Philippines.
- July 10, 1942, a weak signal addressed to MacArthur was picked up: "Detachments of Fil-American forces—we have not surrendered—are actively raiding northeast barrios and towns of Pangasinan including Dagupan. Radio censorship by Japs very rigid resulting in complete ignorance of Filipinos of the true and correct status of the war…. Our people, nevertheless, are undaunted and continue to seek correct information. Your victorious return is the nightly subject of prayer in every Filipino home. [Signed] Lieut. Colonel Nakar."
Post Humous Awards and Recognitions
Second Highest Military Award
General Nakar Municipality
Distinguished Conduct Star
July 21, 1949
Signed by President Elpidio Quirino
Pinned on his wife by Brigadier General Macario Peralta Jr.
Portions of Baler and Infanta, Quezon were named in honor of General Nakar
- October 2, 1943 - a year after his capture, Nakar was executed.
- “So Fight the Brave,” - TD Agcaoili, Sunday Times Magazine, March 3, 1946, “everything was okay, keep your chin up, and keep on fighting.”
- September 29, 1942 - General Nakar was betrayed, captured and eventually imprisoned at Fort Santiago.
- It was considered as “the first serious blow to the coordinated command of the USAFFE remnants since Nakar was regarded as the most prominent USAFFE officer in the northern Luzon area.”
- Even as a prisoner, Nakar remained defiant. He refused his freedom to remain loyal to his country.
- In Isabela, the Japanese allowed him to speak in public as part of their propaganda campaign.
AFP General Orders No. 266
We do not need to create heroes. We have many in our midst that we know little of. Nakar’s life and death is an example of selfless courage and enduring loyalty—if only we took the time to learn more about our past.
He was a post humous awardee of the Quezon Medalya ng Karangalan
Camp John Wilhelm (in Lucena, Quezon) was renamed as Camp General Guillermo Nakar
Home of the Southern Luzon Command (SOLCOM) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Source: QUEZON PROVINCE WEBSITE,
http://www.quezon.gov.ph
References:
- Agoncillo, Teodoro A. The Fateful Years, Japan’s Adventures in the Philippines Volume
- II. Quezon City: R.P. Garcia Publishing Company, 1965.
- Baclagon, Uldarico S. They Served With Honor. Quezon City :DM Press Inc., 1965.
- NHI Biographies of Outstanding Filipinos in the Field of Arts, Letters, Science, Civics,
- Religion, Etc. (book bound tp.)
- Reyes, Pedrito and Karasig, Jose Domingo. Pictorial History of the Philippines. Manila:
- 1954.
- http://pinoyfolktales.blogspot.com/2013/01/filipino-martyr-guillermo-nakar.html
- http://opinion.inquirer.net/37812/message-from-nakar
- http://www.1939-45.net/rsasie.htm
"Everything is okay, keep your chin up, and keep on fighting"