"Philippine Sand" ~ June Millington

A song I wrote in April, and recorded a demo for on the day of "totality" (the total solar eclipse that moved across North America ... I'd already experienced one in Manila, so didn't feel the need to travel to see it again).
The true story: hopefully you know that the Japanese invaded us at the start of their glorious island-hopping, and McArthur had to flee to Australia ("I shall return!"). There commenced terrible atrocities, the most well-known perhaps being the Bataan Death March. And smaller ones, too, but terrible and vicious and consequential nontheless.
My family had fled from Manila to Lian, their hometown in Batangas by the China Sea. One day the Japanese marched in with no warning and rounded all the men and boys up, taking them to the church. There, they forced random numbers to go into the confessionals in order to "pick" collaborators out and of course everyone was terrified - even if you didn't know anyone, you had to pick a few out on pain of death ... all you had to do was point.
They were beating everyone up while all this was happening, and I was horrified at my uncle (Tio Toto's) description of how they were beating their shins. I was so scared at the telling - "how big were the sticks?" I had to ask. "Oh, pretty big" and he indicated like, a sapling maybe 2-3" wide. I just couldn't believe it, I knew how badly it hurt to just hit my shin on a chair! I quaked.
Finally, with enough "identified," they started marching those men and boys to the beach. That beach, Matabunkay, is considered one of the finest white-sand beaches in the islands, and as kids we ofter drove out to the province for vacation and to play (a doable round-trip from Manila).
When they got to the beach the Japanese made their prisoners undress, and ordered them to remove all their jewelry. My uncle knew what was going to happen: they were gong to shoot them all and steal their watches and jewelry. But, by this time they were facing the setting sun. So he threw his lot at one of the guards, who couldn't see properly, and ran into the sea. The guard shot and missed, and Tio Toto was off.
All night he tried to stay near shore, but he'd lost his glasses. The only thing that saved him was the sound of the roosters crowing, and every time that sound faded he knew which direction to go.
At dawn, some fishermen found him and and took him home to their nipa huts - far enough from everything that no one came searching. After about a month he sent word that he was alive, and you can only imagine the joy that the family had to keep under control - he was the only one who survived.
All the victims were decapitated, and their heads were recovered, gathered up in a basket, and buried in the town square of Lian. Funny, when I was really little (maybe starting at 3 or four) we'd pass the monument and the women would say to me, very quietly, "that's where they buried the heads." What? That's all they whispered. But it filled me with a dread and horror, and as I got older they filled the details in. I even heard it directly from Tio Toto. But you know, that's war. Some things are normalized as they're being whispered about. For a kid, that's pretty confusing.
But he did get to fulfill an unspoken wish - he'd been really attracted to a young girl but hadn't been able to express his feelings. But now he could, and did, with a vengeance! They married and their kids were our main playmates as we were growing up at our grandfather and grandmother (Lolo and Lola's) estate in Manila. So I'm very connected to this story.
Please enjoy as you can.
xx June
June Millington
Artistic Dir., IMA
www.ima.org

[@butchbuzz]

Thank you po Miss June! Much love from the Philippines 🙏❤️

[@MalluFilipino]

Thank You for this story. It's "history" to us who weren't alive then, but it's a life memory for those who experienced such things. These stories need to be told. These stories need to be heard. May these stories never become life memories for future generations.

[@CaptainBakerJason]

Maraming salamat po Ms. June. 🙏

[@JuneEsWorld]

Wala'ng Anuman. xx

[@kramknowledgee]

Salamat Po! Miss you Auntie June! Aloha always!

[@revenantband1]

Beautiful tribute. I am so glad for you that your uncle survived, but so sad for the rest.

[@Kilusan2020]

You are one of our inspirations Miss June, Salamat po. 🙂🔥❤️🇵🇭🙏

[@RH-of5cr]

salamat magandang kaibigan

[@twosixtyninechatter653]

Thank you June. The song is beautiful and the story moved me to tears.

[@duanerykhus9425]

Thank you :)

[@MarieProvost77]

Wow, that is quite a story. Thank you for sharing it :)

[@stoffls]

Beautiful song with such a dark story. But glad your uncle could escape the massacre!

[@BigSky1]

What an awful story that needs to be told and not forgotten.

[@hippiesmile2851]

This one is special. It's beautiful June.

[@JuneEsWorld]

Thanks so much. xx

[@lynsmith1096]

Thanks for sharing

[@lehnilebert9636]

Broke my heart

[@LydiahDola]

Thanks for sharing Queen

[@JuneEsWorld]

:)) xx

[@Roberttimestwo]

so beautiful that it brought tears to my eye

[@MrSiloterio]

Hello June are you still able to speak in Tagalog?