The history of the Philippines, particularly the chapter on World War II, is being taken out of the archives, dusted off and made alive and more personal to motivate and inspire those who have to teach it.

It is not told like a Hollywood movie where ?natives? cower in fear until American ?liberators? arrive and valiantly fight and drive away the enemies to the eternal gratitude of their little brown friends.

Nor is it anything like a Fernando Poe Jr. movie where the hero single-handedly defeats entire battalions of foreign invaders, no matter how gratifying it is to see him win without any assistance from white men.

Many of the stories are being heard for the first time, even in the places where they occurred, and are not in the usual history textbooks.

As told by University of the Philippines Diliman professor Ricardo Jose in his seminars for high school and college history teachers, the war tales are tragic, poignant, awe-inspiring and occasionally hilarious.

Untold tales

The Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB) enlisted the UP history professor?s help in conducting a series of seminars to help improve the history teachers? skills and give them a better appreciation of the subject they are handling through often little-known stories about the war.

Jose?s tales generally speak of the heroism, the valor, the patriotism of Filipino fighters?both regular soldiers and untrained farmers, laborers, students and ordinary able-bodied men and women?whose love of country sustained them in resisting the invaders, despite being woefully outgunned.

Arguably the most knowledgeable Filipino expert on WWII at present, Jose presents a different version, for instance, of the rescue of prisoners of war (POWs) in the Cabanatuan prison camp that was Hollywood-ized in the ?The Great Raid.?

In the movie that starred award-winning actor Cesar Montano and was based on a story by an American veteran, Filipinos were depicted generally as standing around waiting for the GIs to bark their orders.

Not so, according to surviving veterans. Filipino guerillas did most of the fighting and rescue work. In fact, as the movie itself suggested, the Americans primarily relied on Filipinos for intelligence reports.

Jose?s seminars appear to help rekindle the teachers? interest in Philippine history and give them renewed motivation to make their students appreciate their forefathers? accomplishments.

Cagayan?s role

Emilie Santiago, a fourth year high school social studies teacher who participated in Jose?s seminar in Tuguegarao Cagayan, said, ?I was unaware that Cagayan had a significant involvement in the war. I will try to make my students appreciate their province?s role in the war.?

Another social studies teacher, Dr. Chelo Tangan, said until Jose?s seminar they did not have a complete picture of their province?s involvement in the war. ?We are lacking in local records (of the war).?

She said the knowledge of Cagayanons? heroism would help improve their self-worth.

During his Tuguegarao seminar, Jose underscored the ?strategic importance? of Cagayan Valley, a fact recognized by the foreign powers that invaded the Philippines?Spaniards, Americans and the Japanese.

He said Aparri was invaded by the Japanese just two days after the start of the war in the Pacific, wanting to use its airfield as base for their planes to control northern Luzon.

But the Cagayanons resisted the invasion, Jose said. The provincial government moved from the capital of Tuguegarao to the town of Tuao, in defiance of the Japanese.

The handful of soldiers that remained, aided by other volunteers, continued to challenge the invaders throughout the war until the return of the Americans.

Ricardo A. Balbido Jr., PVB?s president and chief executive officer, said the Filipinos fought hard for their country even if they lacked arms.

Teaching right values

Dr. Linda Tungcul, principal of the Cagayan National High School (CNHS) where the seminar was held, said it was important to make young people understand that the freedom they enjoyed now was the result of the sacrifices of their elders.

?These lessons will teach young Filipinos the right values,? she said.

Mike Villa-Real, PVB?s vice president for corporate communications, said the ?Re-visiting World War II in the Philippines? seminar aimed to improve the teachers? understanding of the Japanese occupation so they could, hopefully, pass on their new insights to their students.

The seminar complemented the bank?s traveling exhibit of WWII photographs, most of them lent by Jose himself. Started in Dagupan City in 2006, the exhibit and the seminar have been brought to 20 key cities and municipalities all over the country where the bank has branches.

Balbido said, ?We hope that through these (seminar and exhibit) we can impart to young people the idea and spirit of love for country.?

The seminar in Tuguegarao was attended by some 30 teachers from both public and private schools in Cagayan. Host CNHS was used as a garrison during the war.