On January 8, 1942, while Filipino and American forces battled against the Japanese Imperial Army and President Quezon and General Douglas MacArthur were holed up in Corregidor, a select group of Filipino leaders presented themselves to General Masaharu Homma and formally surrendered to Japanese rule. Within a few hours of occupying Manila, high-ranking Japanese military men had set out to gain the support of the nation’s political elite. They promised emancipation from American oppression and independence, touting the slogan “Philippines for the Filipinos” under the so-called Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.

The occupation made the nation’s elite nervous. US failure to hold the Philippines had left them in shock. One of their own had been seized by the Kempeitai, the Japanese military police, and interrogated. Whether they were moved by cowardice and fear, or a sincere wish to protect the citizenry and prevent further destruction and bloodshed, Filipino public officials, eventually numbering about 30 men, including Jorge Vargas, Quezon’s secretary, and former congressman and Speaker José Yulo, collectively decided that capitulation was the best option. They pledged their allegiance to the new order with such promptness that even the Japanese were surprised. Before the end of the month, the Japanese had secured the cooperation and active collaboration of the country’s most prominent politicians.

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