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| Women's Auxiliary Service |
Within barely more than a month, the local population had to be readied for the impending Japanese invasion. Civilians were instructed to prepare themselves for evacuating their own residences in the towns in cases when the Japanese became too oppressive and unbearable. A good number of families eventually evacuated to the interior parts of the island and found ways to stock food, medicines and other supplies. These rehearsals for the harsher realities to come under the new regime would foster their chances of survival. The food and other materiel accumulated would also serve the local guerillas later.[i]
Those who were going to be left behind in
the towns were instructed to build air raid shelters, usually near large
buildings, but these were largely embryonic and very limited. In accordance
with national orders, Philippine Constabulary Inspector Major Arturo Reyes
organized the males into the Volunteer Guard in every municipality under the
supervision of the mayor. but drawn up according to the specifications of
Reyes. In some instances, these units were organized down to the barrio level
under the teniente del barrio. Where
there were PC units, the VGs were assimilated and given their duties to
perform, usually as nocturnal sentries.[ii]
A companion organization was the Women’s
Auxiliary Service or WAS who were supposed to undertake first aid. This was
started by Dr. Aldaba, head of the Leyte Provincial Hospital. The program was
expanded by the limited number of nurses and eventually public school teachers
who provided the trainings. Besides first aid service, they were the ones
entrusted with the distribution of the relief goods to indigents in the
community. The WAS would later prove themselves useful to the local guerillas
when the actual fight against the Japanese started.[iii]
In the town of Abuyog, Almendra’s hometown,
a public announcement was made that all girls interested in helping the
guerillas should sign up. A lot of girls signed up, enough to make three 32-man
platoons. They always called themselves “men” when they talked in military
terms.
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