When you come to the Philippines, particularly to Metro-Manila, you have to go to Corregidor. Corregidor is an island on the west entrance to the Bay of Manila facing the China Sea. It’s small, actually tiny. It looks like a tadpole with a wagging tail. Back in the 1600s when the Spanish ruled the Philippines the island was used as a checkpoint for all ships entering the Manila Bay, hence its name – Corregidor, from the Spanish word corregir that means “to correct.” All ships had to stop there to be inspected so the Spanish could make certain all things were in order, that the ship had the correct papers, cargo, etc. (No pirates invited.)
When the US received the Philippines in the Spanish-American Ward (1898), the Americans used the island for much the same purpose, making it a large military bastion. In World Ward II the big guns of Corregidor were used in support of Filipino and American defenders of Bataan (on the nearby mainland) until Corregidor Island itself was invaded by Japanese forces. The Japanese guns pounded the soup out of the island, and with intermittent bombings they reduced its defenses and compelled the US forces there to surrender. (These men were the main portion of the soldiers who were shipped across the bay to Manila and then marched to Bataan – the infamous “Death March.”) That’s why McArthur left, shortly before it fell. The Japanese set up their stronghold using the American-built installations. But in the end Corregidor was again caught in the fury of war when after a bloody battle the Americans retook the island.
