Sunset was cloudy but very inviting. Atop the Battery Grubbs we captured the mountain-clad Corregidor in a magnificent hue. I marveled on how beautiful sunset was if not cloudy. I did not waste time in taking photographs, getting good shots of the neighboring island of La Monja and a panoramic view of Mariveles, Bataan. When the night falls, we proceeded to the spooky Malinta Tunnel for the lateral visit. But wait, I forgot to tell you that before we trooped to the Battery Grubbs we passed by the old hospital at the topside. As mentioned in the first series of this Corregidor story (A Brave Weekend at Corregidor Part I), that hospital was one of the first bombed by the Japanese. This incident drove the force of Gen. McArthur to put up a hospital area inside the Malinta Tunnel, which was later called the 1000-bed hospital.
Entering the main tunnel at night was very thrilling, much more was striding towards its laterals. Our tour guide evenly distributed among us big flashlights, which served as our only light source inside this historic fort of beleaguered World War II soldiers. "Watch your head!" was our consistent warning to each other as the passageway becomes narrower and we bent our knees lower. Then, "watch your feet!" because the excavation of some parts of the laterals was left unfinished, not to mention those holes and cracks brought by the offensive and defensive attacks in the war. As we reached the location where hundreds of Japanese committed suicide by blowing themselves up, I entertained creepy thoughts in my mind, making the exploration quite eerie but more stirring! Next point near the East Entrance was the lateral of Pres. Quezon where we found momentous framed pictures hanged on the walls. The photographs captured the commonwealth president's unwavering spirit despite being stricken with tuberculosis, which was incurable that time. Pres. Quezon stayed at the Malinta Tunnel less than 2 months, from Dec. 29, 1941 to Feb. 20, 1942, before being transported to the United States to seek medical treatment. He died in 1944, not able to witness the liberation of the Philippines which happened in March 2, 1945.
The longest lateral near the North Entrance is where the 1000-bed hospital was positioned. Few more laterals and we got to the headquarters of Gen. McArthur, then to his infamous escape tunnel which is parallel to the main tunnel, leading to the west entrance. His exit was well positioned to the Lorcha Dock where he boarded the boat for Cagayan de Oro, from where he was brought to Darwin, Australia through a chartered flight.
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