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INTRODUCTION Mayor Catalino Gabot Hermosilla Sr. was a Filipino politician that was the Mayor of Ormoc City, Leyte, Philippines from 1941 to 1943 while the Philippines was under the Japanese Military occupation during World War-II. He was the first politician to serve with the title of “Mayor” during the Commonwealth of the Philippines era with the United States of America.

EARLY LIFE Catalino Hermosilla was born on April 30, 1898 and raised in Ormoc, Leyte, Philippines. He was the second child and first son of the patriarch, Pastor Hermosilla and the matriarch, Candida Omega Gabot. Lovingly nicknamed “Cata”, he was schooled at the Ormoc City Central School for his elementary education where he was brilliant student who excelled in his educational endeavors.

Catalino was sent to Cebu to pursue his secondary education at the Cebu Junior College of Liberal Arts (later renamed the University of the Philippines [UP], Cebu) where he continued to excel in his educational and personal development. While in Cebu, Catalino and his younger brother, Cayetano, stayed at the Sneed Dormitory for Boys. The popular dormitory was run by the American Presbyterian Church missionaries and made available to students who went to government-run schools like UP. It was the preferred boarding house for out-of-town students from affluent families. The American missionaries who ran the dormitory were fond of and friendly with Catalino and Cayetano. The two brothers’ constant contact with the American missionaries enabled them to learn particularly good conversational English. While at the Sneed Dormitory, Catalino eventually was exposed to the religious catechism of the Presbyterian religion, which is a Protestant Christian denomination introduced by the American missionaries in 1902 that was starting to take root in the Philippines during the American era. Although they were born and raised in the Roman Catholic religion, Catalino and Cayetano, in the course of their stay at the Sneed Dormitory, became interested in the teachings of the Presbyterian religion and eventually both converted into the Presbyterian religious denomination.

During his college years, he was an avid bookworm and well versed in history. A prolific, eloquent, and brilliant speaker and debater, he later joined the Plaridel Debating Club of Cebu and never lost a single debate. Right after finishing his college education from UP-Cebu with his bachelor’s degree in education, Catalino continued his studies and pursued a law degree in the hopes of becoming a lawyer. However, he developed severe appendicitis that required an appendectomy, which, during that time, was a major operation. While recovering from the invasive surgery, he developed life-threatening complications that took months to fully resolve. Weakened and unable to get back to the scholastic schedule in time, he decided to pursue the law degree later. However, because teachers were in much higher demand than lawyers in Ormoc, his deferred opportunity was permanently shelved.

Returning to Ormoc in 1920 with his teaching degree, Catalino was later hired as a municipal teacher at the local Ormoc Central School, his alma mater. He quickly established himself as an efficient and prolific educator. With things going well in his new career, he subsequently got married and established a family.

It was during these times that he met and fell in love with Maxima Teberia Militante, a fellow teacher and gifted singer from the general vicinity of Palo, Leyte. They later got married and bore five children namely: 1.    Maria (died at birth, April 2, 1923) 2.    Romeo (“Meyot”) (born on June 24, 1924) 3.    Editha (“Edith”) (born on Sept. 21, 1926) 4.    Ebenezer (“Benny”) (born on Oct. 28, 1927) 5.    Juan (died at birth, March 21, 1929) Then in 1925, Hermosilla became of one of the co-founders of Ormoc Institute. He subsequently became its Director of which position he held from until 1927. Energetic and ambitious, he was also the “Supremo” of the “Legion of Free Workers” from 1926 to 1929. While holding the position as Principal, he entered local politics.

POLITICAL CAREER But in March 21, 1929, during the election season of 1929, Maxima suddenly died from complications during the course of a difficult pregnancy of the fifth child who also died with her. Hermosilla was left behind with three young children to take care of. Becoming a widower six months prior to the election took a toll on Catalino. Perhaps because of grief or because he wanted to give someone else a chance at the office of Municipal Vice President, he ran for the office of Municipal Councilor instead and won. His term of office was from 1930 to 1933. Then, from 1933 to 1934, Catalino was reelected as Municipal Councilor.

Then in 1933, he met, fell in love, and married Irene Dumagit Larrazabal, a beautiful maiden from a prominent family also from Ormoc City. Their marriage bore three wonderful children namely: 1.    Jose (Lenlen) (born on February 6, 1932), 2.    Mayor Catalino Hermosilla, Jr. (Nonoy) (born on July 7, 1933), 3.    Clarita (Inday) (born on November 25, 1935).

He was elected as the Vice Mayor during the term of Mayor Victorio Laurente of which he served for two terms from 1934 to 1937. Being well versed in the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible, Mayor Catalino Hermosilla’s speeches were highly inspired by the teachings they contained. It was so that leaders of all religious faiths in Ormoc at the time could not help but praise him for his inspirational speeches. Seeking for the next higher position, Catalino ran for the office of municipal president against Attorney Victorio Laurente during the election cycle of 1937, who was running for a second term. Unfortunately, Catalino lost that bitterly contested election on December 14, 1937. Taking a break from politics, he took his family to Cebu where he became the Manager of the Club Filipino de Cebu from 1938 to 1940. Then in 1941, just before the outbreak of World War II, he reentered politics and ran against the incumbent and won the election by landslide.

ROLE IN WORLD WAR-II Right after Catalino Hermosilla was inaugurated in January 1941 and assumed the reins of government as Ormoc City Mayor, World War II broke out on December 8, 1941, only 11 months later. Hermosilla and the City Council decided to depopulate the municipality to avoid getting caught in the crossfire with the invasion forces, which was expected to happen any time soon. He and his family found refuge in the hills above the municipality. He established and alliance with like minded citizens and conferred with other leaders and guerilla fighters on how best to defend the municipality from the invaders when they do arrive.

When the Japanese soldiers belonging to the Nagano Detachment (commanded by Major General Nagano Kameichiro, mainly composed of hardened veterans of the Luzon invasion a couple of months earlier and mainly drawn from the 62nd Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Imperial Army) arrived in Ormoc on May 10, 1942, they came in virtually unopposed. Except for handful of caretakers to kee0 an eye on the town, the municipality was deserted. The small contingent of the US Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE), which was based in the Camp Downes only a mile south of the town proper, were sent earlier out to the island of Luzon to repel the Japanese in Bataan and Corregidor. The Japanese detachment commander, Captain Abe, seeing the need for a civilian administrator, he sent messengers out to find Mayor Hermosilla and ask him to come down from the hills with the guarantee that he and the family would not be harmed, with the intent of having him freely operate the government although under the control and scrutiny of the Japanese military. It was a timely coincidence since the acting president, Sergio S. Osmeña, had required all civil authorities to “play ball” with the Japanese while waiting for the American forces to return but also to conduct sabotage and acquire military intelligence. Pres. Manuel L. Quezon had left the Philippines and established his government in exile in the United States leaving behind Pres. Sergio Osmeña to govern the Philippines in his absence. Meanwhile, the National Assembly of the Philippines had selected Jose P. Laurel, an associate justice of the Supreme Court appointed on February 29, 1936 who was known to be pro-Japanese in 1943 as the puppet president under vigorous Japanese control. Being the duly elected mayor for the municipality, Mayor Hermosilla decided to return to Ormoc and reestablish his position albeit under the control of the Japanese occupiers.

During his term of office, Ormoc underwent a food shortage as a result of the Japanese food procurement policies, which resulted in a rash of law-and-order incidents that included arson, robbery, and banditry. To avoid harsh enforcement from the Japanese military, he established the Ormoc Home Guard, which was a group sanctioned by the Japanese government to perform the law-and-order function of the local government, which prevented the harsh implementation by the Japanese occupiers. It was headed by his nephew, Francisco “Kinko” Hermosilla who was the Head Warden and his son, Romeo Militante Hermosilla, who was the Assistant Warden. At the height of its existence, the Ormoc Home Guard boasted a roster of 108 members. It was, however, disbanded when Kinko resigned after Mayor Hermosilla was removed from office.

Ormoc, being geographically located in the middle of the Philippine archipelago, was turned into a huge garrison and was teeming with Japanese military activity. Mayor Catalino Hermosilla was plunged into the biggest challenge of his life---that of governing the city under the brutal command and scrutiny of the Japanese Imperial Army while maintaining peace and order.

Mayor Catalino Hermosilla’s role as the Mayor of Ormoc City during those war years was aptly described by one of his sons, Jose (Lenlen), as “walking a tight rope,” keeping the peace by preventing the conquerors from molesting and/or harming the civilian populace and saving lives while at the same time assisting the local guerilla movement who were actively operating in the area. Falling in either side of the rope would mean instant death. This became almost a self-fulfilling prophecy when he was denounced to the Japanese as a spy for the guerillas. As a result, the guerilla stronghold at Mahilaom was raided by the Japanese and the Mayor’s letters to the guerilla commander, Lt. Miranda, were recovered. The Japanese Kempetai tortured the mayor as a result and the acting commander, Lt. Hirayama, summarily imposed the death penalty by beheading him. Despite the pleading of his wife Irene to spare the life of his husband, Lt. Hirayama was undeterred and wanted to proceed with the execution. Just as the punishment was about to be conducted, a fall from the telephone rang. the telephone rang. It was a call from the commanding officer, Captain Abe, who was out of town on official business in Tacloban at the time. Captain Abe interceded for Mayor Hermosilla and instructed Lt. Hirayama not to hurt him and not to do anything further until Captain Abe returned. Two days later, Captain Abe arrived in Ormoc in the nick of time. He informed the Kempetai that he had authorized Mayor Hermosilla to communicate by letter with the guerilla leader to convince them to lay down their arms and rejoin the population as regular citizens. Mayor Hermosilla was expeditiously released from detention without further delay and went back to his duties as mayor. After that incident, he was closely monitored by the Kempetai. All his movements were scrutinized, which hindered his ability to communicate with the guerillas any further.

Although there were isolated incidents of run ins between civilians and the Japanese military, Mayor Catalino Hermosilla’s years in power were well manifested by peace and order especially within the city proper. Even today, people who have been affected by his benevolence have personally testified to his descendants the countless times that Mayor Catalino Hermosilla had personally saved lives under the detriment of his own personal safety from the hands of the cruel oppressors. His son, Jose (Lenlen), recalled one such occasion when he witnessed his father Mayor Hermosilla, getting slapped around and beaten by a Japanese soldier for preventing him from molesting a local maiden.

Mayor Hermosilla held the mayoral seat until 1943 when his hypertensive disease progressed that became a hindrance, which prompted the Japanese Military commander to forcibly replace him on January 17, 1944 with Jose Codilla who was selected by the Japanese Imperial Army. Although he was thereafter a private citizen, he was still sought out by his former constituents for advice.

LIBERATION AND REDEMPTION When the American and Allied Forces invaded Leyte in October 20th, 1944 led by General Douglas MacArthur, Mayor Hermosilla led his family and a handful of notable fellow Ormocanos who found it safer to stay close to him and evaded the Japanese and to avoid being caught in any crossfire between the defending Japanese forces and the invading American and Allied forces, evacuated to the safety of the hills around Ormoc.

In response to the invasion, General Yamashita decided to reenforce the Japanese forces in Leyte to repel the invasion at any cost. Lt. Gen. Sosaku Suzuki, commanding the 35th Army on that front, began marshalling all manner of barges, sailing boats, and other small craft to help shift his scattered units from throughout the Visayas to Ormoc. Quite apart from the TA operations to be outlined hereunder, these small-scale sailings continued throughout the campaign and succeeded in transferring to Leyte men and materiel.

The following TA operations were conducted: 1.	Operation TA-1: Oct. 24–28, 1944 2.	Operation TA-2: Oct. 28–Nov. 5, 1944 (Imabori Detachment, InfDiv26) 3.	Operation TA-3: Nov. 8–11, 1944 (InfDiv26 Heavy Equipment) 4.	Operation TA-4: Nov. 9–11, 1944 (InfDiv26 Troops) 5.	Operation TA-5: Nov. 23–25, 1944 (InfDiv26 reinforcement) 6.	Operation TA-6: Nov. 27–30, 1944 7.	Operation TA-7: Nov. 28–Dec. 4, 1944 8.	Operation TA-8: Dec. 5–8, 1944 (68th Brigade) 9.	Operation TA-9: Dec. 9–13, 1944

Overall, a total of 50,000 Japanese reinforcements were sent to defend Leyte.

The battles fought between the two sides during the TA Operations resulted in several Japanese ships’ sunk in Ormoc Bay and several thousands of men dead, injured, or missing. The TA Operations abruptly ended, overtaken by events and the unstoppable Allied advance. This little-known World War II battle was an epic event won by the Americans which prevented the Japanese from reinforcing their beleaguered forces defending against the onslaught of the American and Allied Forces that had established beach heads at “Red Beach” at Palo and other sites on Leyte Island.

For those Japanese soldiers and sailors who managed to get on land found themselves straggling dangerously close to the evacuation sites where the civilians were holding out. They were trying to regroup in the Buga-buga hills to stage a counterattack. The Japanese defenders became desperate and performed atrocities such as the infamous “juez de cuchillo” (justice by knife) or summary executions to suspected guerilla and American sympathizers, and civilians who got into their way. Witnesses attested that not even toddlers and young children escape the brutality of the retreating Japanese soldiers who throw them up in the air and catching them with their fixed bayonets. Mayor Hermosilla’s nephew, Kinko’s wife and daughter suffered such fate as they were trying to escape from the carnage.

Ormoc was liberated in December 10, 1944, Mayor Hermosilla and his family, together with the rest of the town people who were with them, returned to the city to get reunited with the rest of their families, enjoy the Liberation, and celebrate the American victory. Finding their residence at the corner of William Bryant and Lopez Jaena Streets slightly damaged, Mayor Hermosilla and family started to rebuild their home and their lives.

ROLE AFTER WORLD WAR-II As Ormoc was getting liberated, a military unit called Philippine Civil Affairs Unit (PCAU) arrived in Ormoc and established headquarters at the Ormoc Sugar Central grounds in Ipil to help the civilians recover and repatriate and cope with the hardships. They hired Mayor Hermosilla as the PCAU Coordinator to assist PCAU-15 perform that task. Daily, PCAU-15 Officer-In-Charge Capt. Theodore Sendak and Mayor Hermosilla work with each other to resolve ongoing issues. Mayor Hermosilla was in charge to provide manpower and hiring the needed personnel to perform multiple support tasks to help the Americans as they reestablish and rebuild the local government. According to Capt. Sendak in his autobiography, “Catalino Hermosilla was his primary civilian contact in Ormoc, whom he met every morning to discuss and try to resolve the problems and concerns of the day. ” Captain Sendak noted his admiration for Catalino, stating, “The mere fact that he led thousands of fellow Filipinos back from the mountains and through the Japanese lines was a wonder to us.” He added that Catalino was a big help to the Americans by assisting their recruitment of the native labor force needed to perform various tasks. People would report their problems to Catalino, and he would convey them to and consults with PCAU for the necessary resolution. Captain Sendak and PCAU would then assign and allocate the necessary resources to alleviate the sufferings of the people. Captain Sendak indicated that he had a very congenial and productive relationship with Catalino. At the end of the war, Capt. Sendak returned to Indiana and later became the Attorney General of Indiana and served from 1969 to 1981.

A few days after the American forces liberated Ormoc City from the hands of the Japanese forces, just about when things were getting back to normal, Mayor Hermosilla was apprehended by an American officer of the Office of Special Services (OSS, forerunner of the modern CIA). He was wrongly accused by his political opponents as Japanese collaborator and charged with TREASON.

DETENTION Because of the allegation, Mayor Hermosilla was detained and while the investigations were going on, he was allowed to stay with his family. He was later brought to Tacloban and put in the U.S. Army stockade while the investigations continued for several months before he was allowed to return to Ormoc pending the results of the investigations.

During the investigation, Lt. Natalio Bacalso, a Filipino Commonwealth soldier was assigned the task of investigating, acquiring sworn affidavits, and accumulating evidence. Several known Ormoc citizens were interviewed and signed affidavits. However, none of them wanted to testify against. On the contrary, most of those interviewed spoke very highly of the Mayor. Guerilla leaders, like Colonel Teofilo Moncada, (the most notable guerilla leader who was one of Mayor Catalino Hermosilla’s main contacts while he was still the mayor) actively testified, stood by, vouched, supported, and argued in defense of Mayor Catalino Hermosilla.

ACQUITTAL Then in on the evening of March 22, 1946, about two months after Mayor Catalino Hermosilla’s return to town, three Americans soldiers came and informed Mayor Hermosilla that the Counter Intelligence Corp (CIC)’s investigation had found him “NOT GUILTY” and “ACQUITTED” him from all charges and instructed him to get ready to re-assume the position and duties of Ormoc City Mayor in the following month. By a stroke of a double good luck, earlier that very same day, he also received an appointment by the incumbent Philippine President Sergio Osmena to be the local Nacionalista Party (one of the major political parties in the Philippines) Campaign Manager for Ormoc City and surrounding areas. These two very significant news highly elated Mayor Catalino Hermosilla, which removed his feelings of depression that resulted from the long investigation process and isolation. He manifested feelings of excessive happiness that he shared the good news with his family, friends, and everyone he ran into. Mayor Hermosilla then made preparations with his family to travel to their ranch in Cabulihan (a small barrio about 15 kilometers northeast of Ormoc towards Kananga) to spend some time there. Just like in any previous times when he was elated or depressed, he spends some time there, which serves as an outlet and a shelter from all his cares and worries. It was there that he feels completely relaxed and free to enjoy some privacy, just thinking, meditating, pacing, and just enjoying the sceneries and plants that he had over there. It was at this place that he had a coconut tree planted for each of his children at the day of their birth to commemorate their birthdays, which he pointed to them whenever the children came with him.

DEATH However, that very same night, Mayor Hermosilla suffered a massive heart attack and died in his sleep. He was buried the following day at the Ormoc Municipal Cemetery. Popular and beloved by his constituents, his burial was well attended by a multitude of the town people. He was only 47 years old. ACCOLADES Because of Mayor Hermosilla’s many achievements and dedicated service to the citizens of Ormoc before, during, and after the war, he is considered one of the heroes of Ormoc City.

Mayor Hermosilla is honored and well-remembered by his proud family and fellow Ormocanos for his public service as a leader, public defender, educator, statesman, staunch faith in God, and his diplomatic approach to all his dealings. This was made official by the passing of a resolution that was drafted, introduced, and sponsored by the then City Councilor, Attorney Cristobal Medola. Resolution No. 35, Ordinance # 3 was unanimously passed in the duly convened City Council in 1972, which mandated the naming of the newly developed major diversion road in his name: “HON. MAYOR CATALINO HERMOSILLA DRIVE,” which traverses around the city proper of Ormoc from Cogon Combado in the north to Can-Alo in the south (see picture below). A record of the news of this historic event was richly recorded in the local newspaper periodical call “The Reporter” dated March 24, 1972. With the best honor that the city can confer upon anyone, Mayor Hermosilla had been bestowed this tremendous accolade 26 years after his death---one that is most fitting a man of his stature and achievements. As a legacy to his leadership, Mayor Catalino Hermosilla’s administration was credited with having made tremendous improvements to Ormoc City during those years of service. One of his major accomplishments was the building of the centralized public market. He also initiated the rerouting of the Malbasag River, one of two major rivers that circumference the city, to allow people to reside within the city proper. --O-- Source credits: 1.	Walking A Tightrope, November 2021, Mario Yrastorza Hermosilla, Authorhouse Publishing, Bloomingdale, Indiana 2.	Once Upon A Time, A Nobody Dared to Write A Book About His Life And Some More, July 22, 2010, Unknown Publisher, written by Jose “Lenlen” Hermosilla 3.	Pilgrimage Through the Briar Patch: Fifty Years of Indiana Politics, Theodore Sendak, Guild Press of Indiana, Indianapolis, IN, January 1999 4.	The Reporter, Newpaper, Volume VII, Number 29, March 24, 1972