Corregidor's Malinta Tunnel

Inside one of the laterals

Since yesterday was Quezon City Day, I'll do another post in honor of Manuel L Quezon - President of The Commonwealth Republic of the Philippines and the Founder of Quezon City and the historic Malinta Tunnel.

When the Japanese forces advanced and captured Manila, President Manuel L. Quezon and his family fled to Corregidor Island to evade the enemy.

This island was fortified by the Americans in the early 1990's to be the last standing ground of both the Filipino and American forces in the country. It has many batteries or gun emplacements strategically located all over the island to counter any marine or land attack by foreign invaders.

Malinta Tunnel is bombproof, has blowers that provides fresh air inside the tunnel and has a double line electric car line. It has 13 laterals on the north side and 11 on the south side. It has a 1000 bed hospital. The tunnel served as the headquarters of the United States Armed Forces in the Far East and became the storage facility of the island during the siege of Corregidor.

It became the house of Manuel L. Quezon and his family during his stay in the island and it was outside this tunnel that he made his 2nd term of Oath of Office as President of the Commonwealth together with Vice President Sergio Osmena.

Corregidor was not prepared for the aerial bombardment of the Japanese forces during the war. President Manuel L. Quezon reluctantly fled Corregidor in a submarine to begin his government in exile in New York, USA.