Figure 1.--

The damage to the Filipino economy ands infrastructure was extreme. Manila was the second most damaged allied city of the War. The most damaged being Warsaw. One press reports desctibes the situation in Manila. "Manila lay waste, stinking with the thousands of dead of massacre as well as battle. It had lost its piers, docks, and bridges, its electric light and power and gas plants, its telephone exchanges, radio stations, and newspaper plants, its factories and warehouses and office-buildings, its schools and universities, libraries, museums, churches, and theaters, its hotels and apartment houses, nine-tenths of its private homes, even its parks and avenues and streets. A great city, of a million inhabitants, a metropolis, three hundred years in building, was gone." There was extensive damage outside of Manila as well. And it was not just infrastruure and human nolosses. Jaoanese economic mismanahement and plunderiung caused huge damage to the economy. Manila was liberated after amonth-long battle (February 1945). After Manila, the major Japanese force withdrew to themontaind in northern Luzon. The Japanese surendered (September 1945). Recovery was slow. Everything was in short supply. The only source of assiastance was the United States. America had pledged to pay for the war damages. As promosed before the War, the United statesgranted independence (July 4, 1946). Although independent, the country was more dependent on Amneruca than ever before. One issue that all Axis occupied countries faced was how to deal with collaborators. President Manuel Roxas (1946-48) believed that "errors of the mind rather than the heart must be forgotten and forgiven." President Elpidio Quirino (1948-53) decided to grant clemency to collaborators and enemy soldiers despite the massacre of his family in 1945. Manila was the initial priority. The United States assiusted with clearing of debris in Manila. The United States provided surplus military equipment and a range of equipment namd matrials in that effort. .It is at this time that Manila shifted over to right-hand drive to faciltate the movement of Amerucan mikitary vehicles both during libetration and the recovery effort. The United Nations (at the time meaning the United States) provided some $11 million worth of food, clothing, medicine, and farm implements in addition to emrgeny aid privided by the U.S, military during the War. This relief effort ebnded when the Philippines became independent (1946). Essebtially the Philippines had to rebuild from scratch, especially Manila. This made the recovery difficult. One observer reports that 5 years after the War, Manilka was "in the same condition in which it had been left after the Japs and the GIs were through with it."

Created: 6:34 PM 2/9/2021
Last updated: 6:34 PM 2/9/2021