A REFLECTION PAPER ABOUT “THE CORREGIDOR”

PSINSP NOEL TAPITAN GUMARU WORD COUNT 712

PSOAC CL 2019 - 01

“CORREGIDOR TRIP”

I have travelled in different places in the Philippines but I had never left
footprints on Corregidor Island. It was one of those plans that I often overlooked
because of proximity. I always had an excuse along the lines of ( I-can-visit-it-
anytime-anyway). It just won’t happen. But with PSOAC Schooling, it finally did.
Corregidor was officially called Fort Mills during the American era but was
also commonly referred to as “The Rock” for its terrain and fortifications, and
“Gibraltar of the East” for its resemblance to Mediterranean Sea’s peninsular
fortress. Strategically located at the mouth of Manila Bay, it is the biggest of the
heavily fortified islands that make up the harbour defences of the capital.
It played a pivotal role during the Pacific War, with its fall signalling Japanese
victory and the start of their occupation of the Philippines (1942-45). We all know
how horrible that turned out to be.
The best part that
I enjoyed the most is
visiting the gun at
Battery Hearn, it is the
largest on the island. “At
firing elevation between
15 and 25 degrees, the
gun could cover the full
360-degree field,” brags
the site marker. “On May
6, 1942, the gun and
carriage were disabled
by the crew before surrendering, but the Japanese had American POW’s place the
battery back in service.” Today the gun bobs beside a crater, left when the US
dropped a bomb here in January 1945.

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A REFLECTION PAPER ABOUT “THE CORREGIDOR”

Next is the skeletal ruins of the Topside Barracks have become the most
iconic landmark of the island. It used to house the quarters of American officers and
enlisted personnel. The structure is also called Mile-Long Barracks even though it
spans only 1520 feet, less than a third of a mile.
This experience traveling in Corregidor was unforgettable and the other
students also appreciate the colourful history of the Philippines during the Second
World War. In addition, the ruined buildings, the silent canyons and missiles, the old
pictures and things, the rocky landscape and the fresh and tranquil ambiance will
prove that Corregidor is one of the ideal place in the Philippines which show the
beauty of our country in historical and topographical aspects.
As a Police Officer I would not categorize myself as a history buff but funny,

how I was always amazed by factual remains of historical places and ruins that

witnessed how rich and at the same time how beautiful Philippine history is.

The significant viewed from my perspective of what the country has become

after all those deaths and sacrifices, that part of our history, and even the other parts

when our forefathers fought the earlier colonizers, take a very bleak appearance. It’s

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A REFLECTION PAPER ABOUT “THE CORREGIDOR”

like everything was for naught. The lessons, glaring though they were, and still are,

seem to have been lost to us.

By the end of our tour reflecting on these experiences in every people minds
yes in everywhere we look, there is desperation. But let us not allow these negative
feelings we have and the bad things that are happening to us and to our country
destroy us as individuals. For even if our problems as a nation have become a
tangled web which now seems impossible to straighten, we can do something still,
as individuals, as a small groups and specially for oir organization the PNP.
I do believe that there is a ray of hope somewhere in this dark tunnel we are
all in right now. Let us just keep moving, and doing our part. Small things do add up,
and make up for bigger things.
Over-all, it was a tour that full of knowledge, fun and wisdom! Amazingly, how

Corregidor Island became a moving story island where everything around tells

stories behind those ruins and how wrath of war destroyed many innocent lives. We

should take Gen. McArthur message in our mind, it is my earnest hope and indeed

the hope of all mankind that a better world shall emerge out of the blood and

carnage of the past a world founded upon faith and understanding, a world

dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish for

freedom, tolerance and justice."

Finally, I can say that our tour in Corregidor Island was truly a travel back into

time.

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