It was another virtual history tour. We went cruising to Corregidor Island via ferry from the Manila Bay. The ferry ride to the island was 1.5 hours, we slept most of our travel time as we had to wake early that morning to catch the 8AM trip. All in all, it was an easy ride.In Corregidor, we boarded a tram which took us on a tour of the Island Fort. It was World War II once again! But without the figthing, thank goodness!
The island of Corregidor is strategically situated in the entrance of the Manila Bay and as such served as the "gateway" for naval defenses and attacks during WWII. Its fall to the Japanese forces was instrumental in the subsequent capture of the Philippines and the retreat of the American forces.
And so, we trekked back through time as we visited the barracks, the cannons, the armories, and the forts. Bullets and puck marks characterized all these war mementos- each had stories to tell, each a witness to unimaginable atrocities perhaps.
And then there was peace as signified by the War Memorial and Museum-- it is a reminder to all that the war has ended and freedom regained! The Memorial is a fitting tribute to all brave women and men who fought so we can live as freely as we are now!
Our most favorite part of the tour was the Light & Sound Show at the Malinta Tunnel which is a re-nactment of Corregidor's most dramatic WWII events. The Malinta Tunnel is a tunnel complex built by the US Army which was initially used as a bomb-proof storage and personnel bunker. But was later used as hospital and dwelling place for all embattled service men, their family and crew during the siege of the Japanese forces.
The main tunnel is 831 feet long, 24 feet wide and 18 feet high. It branches off to 13 lateral tunnels on the north side and 11 lateral tunnels on the south side. Each lateral averaged 160 feet in length and 15 feet in width. The third lateral on the north side from the east entrance served as the headquarters of General Douglas MacArthur and the USAFFE. Malinta Tunnel also served as the seat of government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines- as Manuel L. Quezon and Sergio Osmena took their oaths of office as President and Vice-president in here in 1941.
A little bit of a trivia-- Malinta Tunnel derives its name from Tagalog word 'linta' which means 'leech'; and "malinta" literally means "full of leeches".
We also climbed up the Spanish Lighthouse, the oldest landmark in Corregidor. Known as Faro de Isla Corrigedor (Corregidor Lighthouse) in the olden times and originally built by the Spaniards in 1836. The present structure is a reconstruction since it was destroyed during the war. On the viewdeck of the lighthouse is a 360 degree view of the island, South China Sea, Manila Bay, Bataan and Cavite provinces.
