August 3, 2011
-
In Memoriam World War II Heroes
Travel
One of the treasures that's just a stone throw away from my place is the private collection of World War II Memorabilia of Tantin Cataal. I could remember when I was still a kid, we used to play in their dark ground floor where his collection is housed.
It took him years of scouring the mountains of Valencia for him to acquire such a treasure. And being employed at the Geothermal Power Plant for years is an added advantage for him.
The last stand of the Japanese Imperial Army in the Philippines was in the mountains of Negros, where I live. In fact, a shrine was erected in the very place to honor the great warriors of the Imperial Army. So, it is not a surprise really to have so many war treasures in our area ranging from swords to canisters, to propaganda materials that instructs people how to duck or to engage in guerrilla warfare. Gen. Yamashita, himself, was rumored to have died in one of the caves in the area.
All these treasures can be seen at Tantin's small room cramped with history. And what's great about it is that Tantin does not ask for fee, just a few token as donation to help maintain his collection. Not bad, I should say.
Tantin himself is a treasure, having accumulated tons of information on the Japanese Imperial Army. The following is a poem he wrote as a tribute to his collection:
Comments (4)
Well done!
@Justin_DeBin - thank you, thank you
My mother in law's grandfather was a prisoner on one of the islands there. Apparently, if you look at the old Time magazine pictures, he is on the cover of one when the Americans came in and liberated the prisoners. She used to tell me stories of how she would take messages into her grandfather, so she was a spy at the age of 9.
that is so cool, Ann... and on behalf of us Filipinos, let me say thank you to your granddad and your family
you should come and visit us one day. 
hehehe that's cute, a spy at the age of 9 
Comments are closed.