Dagupan: Residents of this city welcomed the claim of American archivist and historian from MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia, the United States, James Zobel that Gen. Douglas MacArthur landed at the Bonuan Blue Beach in January 1945, paving the way for the country’s liberation from Japanese invaders.
According to Philippines News Agency, Rex Catubig, Dagupan’s consultant on arts and culture, emphasized that this revelation reinforces the city’s vital role in history. ‘While his landing in Leyte happened first, on Oct 20, 1944, it was his landing in Bonuan Blue Beach that set the stage for the Liberation, culminating in the liberation of Manila. If the landing did not take place, if the liberation did not happen as it did, who knows where we stand now,’ he said on Thursday.
Dagupan was more than just a landing site – it became a strategic headquarters where military operations were planned. The city’s railroad system and coastal access made it the ideal supply depot for Allied forces, launching more than 65,000 troops into action. ‘Dagupan was the site of his headquarters where military strategies were hatched. Because of its strategic location, with the availability of the railroad, Dagupan provided the launching pad for the military assault and subsequent victory of the US liberation forces,’ Catubig explained.
From the point of view of the younger generation, Odie Mamaril of the Philippine Information Agency Pangasinan expressed happiness and pride as a Dagupe±o, knowing his city had played a huge role during World War II. ‘I am happy and proud since this long dispute as to where Gen. MacArthur landed upon his return is finally proven to be in Dagupan. It is important since the city has been part of the way to help the US force and Filipino soldiers in their fight for freedom from invaders,’ he said in Filipino.
The American historian Zobel confirmed in a lecture that MacArthur landed at Bonuan Blue Beach in Dagupan City, where a memorial building will soon be constructed. His conclusion was based on journals, official records, and personal diaries. Additional evidence includes the diary of MacArthur’s deputy chief of staff, Maj. Gen. RJ Marshall, who explicitly mentioned landing at “Blue Beach II,” and the memoir of Sloan Auchincloss from the US Army Signal Corps, who escorted MacArthur from the beach to the headquarters.
Dagupan played a vital role in World War II as the primary supply depot for US forces in Luzon. MacArthur even established his command base in the city’s West Central School, as evidenced by a photograph he sent to his wife. For Philippine Veterans Bank First Vice President for Marketing Communications and Consumer Protection Mike Villa-Real, also the National Executive Vice President of the VFP Sons and Daughters Association, Inc., a nationwide group of direct descendants of WWII veterans, such was a welcome development.
It was Villa-Real who asked Zobel to study where exactly the American general landed in Pangasinan as the debate persisted for years, especially during annual commemorations of the Lingayen Gulf Landing. ‘Every year we attend the Lingayen Gulf Landing, I am asked the question where he exactly landed. For over a decade, I’ve said Blue Beach based on my correspondence with James Zobel and personal research,’ he said in an online interview.
‘But no one seems to listen or maybe take me seriously. So having Zobel speak and confirm what we’ve been saying all this time is a welcome development. We can close the ‘discussion’ and move forward.’ Zobel’s research uncovered significant evidence, including MacArthur’s diary, noting his departure from the USS Boise at 2 p.m. heading to Blue Beach; photos by Carl Mydans showing terrain that matched Dagupan, not Lingayen; and eyewitnesses’ testimonies from Judge Meneses and historian Resty Basa.
A Philippine Historical Committee marker, placed in 1948, already identified Bonuan Blue Beach as the landing site, further validating the claim. Mayor Belen Fernandez said the information disclosed by Zobel strengthens the bond between the city or the country and the US. ‘To the many challenges that we faced and went through in the city, there is one person whom we value the most, his words and his promise for us. For us, a promise is different from a fulfillment of a promise. For us, there is no other that reflects justice, responsibility, and trust between a leader and his people when a promise is fulfilled,’ she said.