Diary of the War: WW II Memoirs of Lt. Col. Anastacio Campo
by Virginia Yap Morales
Lt. Col. Anastacio Campo’s diary is a revealing memoir of a Filipino officer stationed in Davao City at the outbreak of World War II. There are relatively few Filipino first-person accounts of the war and most of these are from Bataan or Manila. This account, set in Davao, opens a heretofore unknown vista for most Filipinos. Having been written at the time, it has an immediacy and personal flavor that are unique. Lt. Col. Campo’s diary is enriched with his granddaughter Maria Virginia Y. Morales’s comments and annotations that provide background information, which brings out his human side. An important addition to the Filipino memoirs of World War II, this book is a step toward making the Filipino war experience better understood as a truly nationwide experience.
Before the war, Davao City included 20 percent Japanese Nationals in its population, even being referred to by some as a ‘little Osaka’. This peaceful co-existence would end with the advent of WWII.
Synopsis ~ The Family ~ Japanese in Davao ~ War ~ Music