Cagayan de Oro war hero honored: Army camp names facility after its first chief

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – For years, 77-year-old Eduardo Montalvan has been knocking on the doors of top military officials for recognition of his father, a Kagay-anon war hero.

His father, the late Major Jose Manuel Montalvan, served as the first camp commander of Camp Edilberto Evangelista, presently the headquarters of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division in Cagayan de Oro. He was a recipient of numerous awards and decorations for his military service.

During World War II, he was taken as a prisoner-of-war by the Japanese and endured hard labor that caused him to develop polyneuritis – his leg became shorter, resulting in extreme pain and numbness throughout his body. Despite the condition, he managed to escape and joined the guerrillas.

His son Eduardo, a former president of the Cagayan de Oro Press Club (COPC), had long wanted Camp Evangelista or any facility in one of Mindanao’s largest military camps named in honor of his father in recognition of his contributions and for being the first commander of Army camp.

“For 17 years, this has been my dream, and I have pursued it, talking to every Army general I’ve met,” he said.

Eduardo’s father served as the commander of Camp Bulua on January 1, 1939.  The name of the camp was changed to Camp Evangelista, on January 1 1940 and he was designated as the first camp commander and Mobilization Center officer.

The elder Montalvan, born on March 17, 1903, was a native of Cagayan de Oro, previously known as Cagayan de Misamis, the capital town of Misamis Segundo Distrito province.

After spending his childhood in Cagayan de Oro, Montalvan studied at the Philippine Dental College in Manila and graduated with honors, earning a degree in Dental Surgery.

Later, Montalvan pursued a military career and joined the US Army Reserve, where he was commissioned as a first lieutenant. He subsequently joined the newly formed Philippine Army and was again commissioned as a first lieutenant.

“My father succumbed to the lure of a full-time military career. He joined the newly formed Philippine Army,” Eduardo said.

He said his father was stationed in Camp Bulua which was later renamed to Camp Evangelista and commanded the forces until World War II broke out.

The elder Montalvan was taken prisoner and detained at the campus of Ateneo de Cagayan, now Xavier University, which was converted into a prison camp by the Japanese Imperial Army.

Based on a narrative provided by Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Eamiguel, the commander of the 4th Infantry Division Installation Management Battalion, Montalvan escaped from the prison camp and joined the guerrilla forces under US Army Colonel Wendel Fertig.

Eamiguel said that for his wartime services, Montalvan was awarded the Philippine Defense Medal, American Defense Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Philippine Republic Unit Citation Badge, and the US Distinguished Unit Badge.

Eduardo said his father died on September 11, 1978, forgotten by the new generation of military officers and residents.

“I pleaded with every general about my father’s case, but all I got were empty promises,” he said.

Eduardo said he saw hope when he met and talked to Major General Jose Maria Cuerpo, the current commander of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, in a hotel in downtown Cagayan de Oro.

He said Cuerpo immediately agreed to rename the new 4th ID Division Multi-Purpose Building in Camp Evangelista as Montalvan Hall in honor of his father for being the first commander of the camp.

“In less than 30 minutes of talking, Cuerpo agreed to my request. In 30 minutes, all that I have worked for in many years was granted by the good general,” Eduardo said.

On June 19, Cuerpo and the Montalvan family unveiled the marker, naming the building to Montalvan Hall.

“He was a hero and a veteran who served with the USAFFE in Mindanao against the Japanese Imperial Army in World War II,” read the marker posted at the entrance of the building.

Eduardo said he held back his emotions as he and General Cuerpo pulled the drape to reveal the marker renaming the hall to “Montalvan Hall” posted at the entrance of the building.

“I had goosebumps. I did it all for my papa, and now the dream has become a reality,” he said.

Cuerpo said he learned about the Montalvan family’s predicament while he served as an aide to Lieutenant General Cardozo Luna, then-commander of the Army’s Joint Task Force Mindanao, in 2005.

“I saw that Ed’s crusade for his father was deserving. Renaming the building for his father gives honor to a World War II hero and, most of all, as the first camp commander who started it all in Camp Evangelista,” Cuerpo said.

There was a bill in the House of Representatives which acknowledged Montalvan as a war hero who fought against the Japanese to secure Philippine independence. The bill sought to give recognition to him for sacrificing the best years of his life in defense of the country by renaming Camp Evangelista to Camp Jose Montalvan as a fitting tribute to the Kagay-anon hero. – Rappler.com