In 2017, the National Historical Commission erected a bronze statue on the Manila waterfront to honor “comfort women,” the euphemism for those forced to serve as sex slaves for Japanese troops. “We had our own holocaust here,” Mike Alcazaren, a Philippine documentary maker who attended the Feb. Only Warsaw suffered more among Allied capitals in the war. Large parts of its rich cultural heritage - archives of the Spanish colonial era, records from the Philippine revolution, birth and death certificates, ornate churches, grand libraries and treasured art - were obliterated. Much of the graceful city was turned to rubble. Countless others were maimed, impoverished and traumatized. Many were massacred in atrocities by Japanese troops, but many also were pulverized by U.S. In addition to 1,000 American and 16,000 Japanese combatants, at least 100,000 unarmed Filipino civilians were killed - 1 in 10 Manila residents. Tucked under tropical trees on a quiet corner plaza, the ceremony marked the 78th anniversary of one of the most savage - but least known - clashes of World War II, the battle to liberate Manila in 1945. Finally, rifles cracked a salute and a mournful taps echoed across the old walled city known as Intramuros. Soon, drummers beat a crisp tattoo and Marines carefully placed floral wreaths by a massive bronze statue. The honor guard stood smartly, their swords gleaming in the morning sun.
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