During times of war, there are always heroes who resist foreign invaders and villains who collaborated to betray their own people.
During times of war, there are always
heroes who resist foreign invaders
and villains who collaborated to betray their own people.
As the war clouds were looming on the horizon, most Filipinos, by then, were
looking forward to a festive Christmas season in December 1941. Although
preparations were made in case of a Japanese attack, no one knew when it was
coming. By the time the
bombs fell on the U.S. Pacific Fleet
in Pearl Harbor, the invasion was underway. A few months later, Bataan fell
and Corregidor surrendered. Soon all Filipino-American forces have surrendered
to the invaders, where they all suffered from captivity as many of them died
during the dreaded Bataan Death March.
Many who continued to resist, formed guerilla units to fight the Japanese in
unconventional warfare. The rest of the general population has to survive
under harsh military occupation. However, some choose to collaborate with the
enemies to take advantage of a changing political landscape. However, there
was a man who became an unlikely spy. His name is
Conrado Colina Tudtud Sr.
Early Years
Born on December 25, 1902, Conrado was one of the nine children of Lope Mina
Tudtud and Leonora Colina. His first wife was Esperanza Godis, where they
had two children Delia and Conrado Jr. His second wife was Segundina Solon,
where they had two children Carolina and Edgardo.
As a landowner and businessman, he was known as the owner of
"Conrad's Ice Drop" which became a popular refreshment during his
time (not the actual photo below).
Apart from being a businessman, he was also
active in politics
and became a Cebu councilor. In 1921, he joined the Partido Democrata,
where he became part of the core group that created the Mabolo Golden Era
along with Vitaliano Colina, Estanislao Macasero, Paulino Sanchez, and
Manuel Borgonio.
Japanese Occupation
With the
Japanese
gaining firm control of the country, many of the guerilla forces went
underground and collaborators were placed by the occupiers to ensure total
submission of the general population. Those who resist were keen on getting
some spies placed in key areas to keep tabs on Japanese troop movements,
deployments, and logistics. Moreover, spies were needed to provide valuable
intelligence reports to the Americans.
In order to effectively operate a spy operation against the enemy, someone
has to get inside undetected so as not to blow the cover. Guerillas are
operating radio communications high above the mountains far away from
Japanese patrols and reconnaissance aircraft reach.
However, the Japanese also had a counter-espionage campaign that included their own roster of informants and double-agents to send disinformation on the guerillas and their American contacts. Known as the Makapilis, these informants were tasked to infiltrate guerilla units. Any captured guerilla are ruthlessly executed by the dreaded secret police - the Kempei-tai.
Conrado was the perfect man to do the job because not only he knows how the
secret police would probably operate, he has the perfect cover to do the
job. He can blend in with everyone in plain sight. The popular ice drop that
he is selling is the best thing he can leverage to get information from the
Japanese and pass crucial intelligence to the guerillas, who will then
transmit radio reports back to General Douglas MacArthur's forces back in
Australia (who was evacuated prior to the fall of Corregidor).
At that time, the Japanese have transformed Mabolo Elementary School into a
garrison. Many of these men were already veterans in various battles in
China, Malaya, and French Indochina so getting caught is not an option.
Fortunately, he lives near the school and the St. Joseph Church so with his
familiarity with the location, he tried to befriend some of the Japanese by
posing as a businessman. With his contacts from inside the garrison, he soon
learned the true strength, the command structure, deployment orders, and
logistical support. All intelligence gathered was crucial as it helped
guerilla forces with targeted assassinations and demolition jobs.
|
| Japanese soldiers have set up camp in Mabolo Elementary School |
Knowing that the Kempei-tai would eventually suspect his close contacts with
some Japanese inside the garrison, he hides under his cover as an innocent
ice cream man who enjoys selling his favorite Conrad Ice Drops to the
soldiers, who apparently loved it. So his business was spared and they never
ever suspect his hidden spy activities again to some degree.
It's not clear as to how valuable the intelligence he gathered to the
totality of the entire campaign to liberate the country. But it is possible
that it helped the Americans to determine the best strategy to liberate
Cebu. And soon they did when they launched their amphibious landings in
Talisay that pushed them towards the city by 1945. It is likely that the
intelligence may also contain information on those who collaborated with the
Japanese. Many were prosecuted at the end of the war while a few were even
executed.
After the War
He later became Chief of the Detective Bureau of the Cebu Police Department
and rose the ranks to become the Assistant Chief SSD District of the North
District of the Cebu Police Office.
|
| He (sitting at the center) continued his public service as a private citizen even after the war |
His influence on Mabolo's social development played a big role in changing
the barangay's culture as he organized entertainment for his fellow citizens
during the Feast of St. Joseph that included free movies at the church
plaza. He continued operating Conrad's Ice Drop by providing employment
opportunities to locals and one of them later became a boxing legend named
Gabriel "Flash" Elorde.
Conrado died on December 6, 1970. A year later, the City Council of
Cebu honored him with a street name.
References:
"Conrado C. Tudtud Street, Cebu City,"
by Clarence Paul Oaminal
COMMENTS