Liberation Day at Betty’s Home (1945)
Overview
One of the most dramatic and vivid moments in Betty Chan’s childhood: Liberation Day in Manila, when Japanese soldiers entered the house asking for food, and then—about an hour later—American soldiers arrived, marking the end of Japanese occupation and fulfillment of General MacArthur’s promise: “I Shall Return.”
This event occurred when Betty’s family was taking refuge at their Spanish neighbors’ house in Sulu (end of Avenida Rizal), after fleeing Binondo when Japanese threatened to burn the Chinese district.
The Setting
Spanish Neighbors’ House, Sulu
Where this occurred:
- Location: Sulu neighborhood, end of Avenida Rizal, Manila
- Property: Spanish dentist family’s house
- Refugees: Betty’s Chinese-Filipino family hiding there
- Reason: Japanese threatened to burn Binondo (Chinese district)
- Risk: Spanish family endangered themselves by sheltering Chinese family
Family Present
- Mother: Ines Chavez Uy (Betty’s mother)
- Father: Benito Lo Kuchiam (Betty’s father)
- Betty: Age 10 (born 1935)
- Betty’s brothers: Present
- Extended family: Possibly aunts, uncles, cousins
The Morning: Mother Cooking Palitaw
Traditional Filipino Dessert
Mother was cooking:
- Palitaw - Filipino sweet rice cake dessert
- Glutinous rice dough formed into flat circles
- Boiled until they float (“palitaw” means “to surface”)
- Coated with grated coconut, sesame seeds, sugar
- Comfort food during chaotic time
Why This Detail Matters
Betty specifically remembers mother was cooking this dessert:
- Normal domestic activity during extraordinary circumstances
- Mother maintaining routine despite war ending around them
- Food preparation even as soldiers approached
- Traditional Filipino food in Chinese household (cultural integration)
- Sweet dessert contrasts with bitter war context
Japanese Soldiers Arrive
The Entrance
Japanese soldiers entered house:
- Came to door/entered property
- Asked for food (not demanded violently)
- Final days of occupation (desperate/hungry)
- Occupation collapsing around them
- American forces advancing rapidly
Mother’s Response
Ines gave them the Palitaw:
- Offered the dessert she was cooking
- No resistance - gave them food
- Practical response to dangerous situation
- Possibly saved family from violence
- Kindness even to enemy at war’s end
The Soldiers’ Behavior
- Asking, not demanding (unusual for Japanese military)
- Accepted food and left
- No violence toward family
- Desperation of losing soldiers?
- Humanity in final hours of occupation?
What This Means
The Japanese soldiers’ behavior suggests:
- Occupation ending - discipline breaking down
- Soldiers hungry - supply lines broken
- Less aggressive than earlier in war
- Defeat imminent - they knew Americans coming
- Final encounters between occupiers and occupied
American Liberation Arrives
About An Hour Later
Approximately 60 minutes after Japanese left:
- American soldiers arrived in weapons carriers/tanks
- Liberation forces entered Manila neighborhoods
- MacArthur’s promise fulfilled: “I Shall Return”
- Japanese fled or surrendered
- Occupation ended after 3 years
American Soldiers’ Behavior
Americans threw gifts to Filipinos:
- Chewing gum - American luxury item
- Chocolate - precious commodity after war
- Generosity toward liberated people
- Celebration of victory
- Children’s delight at treats
Betty’s Memory (Age 10)
This moment burned into Betty’s memory:
- Most vivid war recollection
- Dramatic contrast (Japanese then Americans within hour)
- Chocolate and gum - first sweets in years?
- Liberation joy after years of fear
- “By the Grace of God” - survival vindicated
MacArthur’s Promise Fulfilled
”I Shall Return”
Historical context:
- March 1942: MacArthur fled Philippines, promised “I Shall Return”
- October 1944: MacArthur waded ashore at Leyte, returned
- February 1945: Manila liberated after brutal battle
- Promise kept - deeply emotional for Filipinos
Significance to Betty’s Family
MacArthur’s return meant:
- End of Japanese occupation (3 years of terror)
- Hope fulfilled after years of hiding
- American protection restored
- Future possible again
- Survival vindicated - they made it
Betty’s Narrative
From her written account:
“MacArthur’s promise fulfilled: ‘I Shall Return’”
This phrase appears prominently in her story, showing:
- Historical awareness even at age 10
- Significance of MacArthur to Filipinos
- Hope his promise represented
- Relief at fulfillment
The Contrast
Within One Hour
Japanese soldiers (morning):
- Asking for food
- Desperate and defeated
- Leaving/fleeing area
- Occupation ending
American soldiers (hour later):
- Victoriously arriving
- Throwing gifts to children
- Liberating the city
- New era beginning
What This Shows
- Rapid change of power in final days
- Chaos of war’s end
- Vulnerability of all soldiers (Japanese hungry)
- Relief of liberation
- Betty witnessed history’s turning point
Family’s Response
”By the Grace of God”
Betty’s signature refrain appears again:
- After years of fleeing
- After hiding in caves
- After Japanese threats
- After near-misses with death
- Finally: liberation
- “By the Grace of God” - they survived
Mother’s Faith Vindicated
Ines’s constant prayer throughout war:
- Prayed in caves while hiding
- Maintained Catholic faith through terror
- Taught Betty to trust in God
- Liberation proved faith justified
- Family intact and alive
What They Survived
To reach this moment, Betty’s family survived:
- Fleeing Daet when father refused collaboration
- Island cave hiding from Japanese searches
- Mother’s village refuge
- Manila years beside Japanese garrison
- Threat to burn Binondo (final danger)
- Spanish neighbors’ refuge (final hiding place)
- Liberation Day (this event)
Historical Context
Battle of Manila (1945)
One of war’s most destructive urban battles:
- February 3-March 3, 1945 - month-long battle
- 100,000+ Filipino civilians killed
- Manila destroyed - “second most devastated Allied capital after Warsaw”
- Japanese fought to death - refused surrender
- Americans retook city building by building
Betty’s Family During Battle
They were in Sulu (end of Avenida Rizal):
- Hiding at Spanish neighbors’ during battle
- Witnessed final days of occupation
- Survived urban warfare around them
- Liberation came to their neighborhood
- One of lucky families to survive intact
MacArthur’s Campaign
October 1944 - August 1945:
- October 1944: MacArthur lands Leyte
- January 1945: Luzon invasion begins
- February 1945: Manila battle starts
- March 1945: Manila liberated
- August 1945: Japan surrenders (atomic bombs)
Betty’s Liberation Day: February-March 1945 (Manila battle period)
Impact on Betty (Age 10)
Formative Moment
This experience shaped Betty:
- Most vivid war memory (she describes it in detail)
- Hope fulfilled after years of fear
- Faith vindicated (mother’s prayers answered)
- Survival joy (they made it!)
- American gratitude (chocolate and gum = America = safety)
- Historical witness (saw MacArthur’s promise fulfilled)
“By the Grace of God”
Betty’s refrain becomes:
- Not just survival phrase but proven truth
- Mother’s faith was right
- Prayer worked (from Betty’s perspective)
- Divine protection carried them through
- Gratitude becomes lifelong attitude
After Liberation
Immediate Aftermath
Once Americans secured Manila:
- Spanish neighbors’ heroism revealed (risked lives)
- Return to rebuilding lives possible
- Father’s business to reconstruct (copra export destroyed)
- Education could resume (Betty to St. Scholastica’s)
- Future possible again
What They Lost vs. What They Kept
Lost:
- Father’s business (copra warehouse taken by Japanese)
- Daet home (Japanese occupied)
- Betty’s toys (left behind, never recovered)
- Years of childhood (ages 5-10 in war)
- Sense of security
Kept:
- Lives (all family survived)
- Faith (strengthened through trial)
- Each other (family intact)
- Hope (future still possible)
- Stories (survived to tell about it)
The Spanish Neighbors’ Heroism
Cross-Cultural Solidarity
Spanish dentist family:
- Offered their house in Sulu for refuge
- Endangered themselves by sheltering Chinese family
- Japanese could have killed them for this
- Risked everything for “very dear friends”
- Heroism Betty never forgot
Why This Matters
- Not all one ethnicity (Spanish helping Chinese in Filipino city)
- Friendship transcended ethnic divisions
- Humanity during inhumane times
- Courage to shelter refugees
- Liberation Day happened at their house
Betty’s Telling (Decades Later)
Details Remembered
Even 70+ years later, Betty remembers:
- Mother cooking Palitaw (specific dish)
- Japanese asking for food (their manner)
- About an hour (timing between visits)
- Americans throwing chocolate and gum (specific gifts)
- MacArthur’s promise (historical significance)
What This Shows
- Traumatic/significant memories don’t fade
- Vivid sensory details (food, gifts)
- Emotional impact (hope fulfilled)
- Gratitude (still evident decades later)
- Story worth telling (passed to children/grandchildren)
Significance to Family History
Both Grandparents’ WWII Stories
Betty (Philippines):
- Fled Japanese multiple times
- Hid in caves
- Liberation Day (this event)
- MacArthur fulfilled promise
Jesse (China):
- Lived under Japanese occupation
- Befriended Japanese colonel
- Liberated when Japan surrendered
- Different survival strategy
Both witnessed end of WWII from different perspectives.
Teaching Grandchildren
Nicholas, Ryan, Samantha learn:
- Both grandparents survived WWII
- Different experiences (fleeing vs. adapting)
- Both witnessed Japanese occupation/liberation
- Resilience runs in family
- History is personal, not just textbooks
The Palitaw Detail
Why Betty Remembers the Food
The Palitaw detail is significant:
- Mother’s normalcy during chaos (still cooking)
- Filipino food in Chinese household (cultural integration)
- Dessert during wartime (maintaining humanity)
- Sharing with enemy (gave to Japanese soldiers)
- Last thing before liberation (symbolic)
Culinary Memory
Food memories often mark:
- Important moments (weddings, holidays, disasters)
- Sensory anchors (smell, taste, texture)
- Cultural identity (Filipino dessert)
- Mother’s role (nurturer even in crisis)
- Normal life maintained despite war
Liberation Day at Betty’s refuge in Manila represents one of the most dramatic moments in family history—witnessing within a single hour both the end of Japanese occupation (soldiers asking for food) and the arrival of American liberation forces (throwing chocolate to children), fulfilling MacArthur’s promise and Betty’s mother’s constant prayers, ending three years of terror with hope restored and “By the Grace of God” vindicated.