First to Fight
First to Fight
Capt. Angeles Limena
(Oct 2 1899 – April 9 1976 )
Capt. Angeles Limena of the Philippine Constabulary was the Provincial Commander of Misamis Oriental when war broke out. Instead of surrendering his constabulary force to the Japanese he started his own guerrilla outfit sometime in September 1942 in Manticao, Misamis Oriental.
According to Fr. Edward Haggerty, Limena’s Guerrillas were responsible for wiping out a convoy of 39 Japanese trucks coming in from Lanao on its way to Cagayan de Misamis.
Limena with his Guerrillas is credited for the Raid of the Municipality of Initao, Misamis Oriental (Oct. 12 1942), releasing POW’s , Putting under arrest the municipal officials for collaborating with the Japanese and disarming the local police force.
Four days later, they captured the Municipality of Alubijid, Misamis Oriental. During this time, Limena’s men were a bunch ragtag band of organized guerrillas without American support.
Captain Limena was also known to be ruthless against the Japanese and hard on Filipino’s whom he thought or is known to be collaborating with the Japanese. When his guerrilla unit was finally recognized by the Americans under Col. Wendell Fertigs’s 10th Military District, it has grown to be a formidable Guerrilla Unit.
