Monday, February 14, 2022

World War Two Hero Cebu -- Alfonso Escaño Corominas Sr.

 

Alfonso E. Corominas with his son Alfonso Jr. 

WORLD WAR TWO HERO - Alfonso Escaño Corominas, Sr. 

Another World War Two hero from Cebu is Alfonso Escaño Corominas, Sr., who, with his two brothers (Manuel and Eduardo), was executed  by the Japanese.

Alfonso was the son of  Jose Corominas and Paz Escaño. He married Flora Abellana North and they had six children, including Assemblyman Alfonso Corominas Jr. (Baby).

 Alfonso's granddaughter, Maritoni Corominas, who used to discuss the war and what happened to Alfonso Sr. to her grandmother Flora and father Victor North Corominas, shares this account:

 Alfonso secretly supported the guerrillas by providing them with food, medicine, and other supplies. A Japanese collaborator pointed Alfonso out to the Japanese. Aware that he had been betrayed, Alfonso brought his family to the mountain area in San Fernando, Cebu. The Japanese went to the home of the parents of Alfonso. Fearing for the lives of his parents, Alfonso gave himself up. The Japanese imprisoned him at the Cebu Normal School, which was the Kempetai Headquarters. He was imprisoned with two or three other men. His siblings would bring him food, but they later learned the Japanese had starved him. 

During this time the Americans had started bombing Cebu and during a bombing, part of Alfonso's prison cell was destroyed. Other prisoners managed to escape but Alfonso did not leave for who fear of his parents' lives. 

The Japanese took him and another prisoner to an area near Miller Hospital where they had to dig their own graves. They were shot and buried there. Alfonso was martyred on August. 11, 1944. 

After the bombing, Flora (his wife) looked for his body. It took her two years of searching until she found the driver of the vehicle that had brought the prisoners to their execution site. Flora was able to identify his remains from a ring and his bone structure. He was interred at the old San Nicolas Church on T. Padilla St. in Cebu.  

https://www.philstar.com/the-freeman/opinion/2016/08/03/1609531/assemblyman-alfonso-baby-n-corominas-jr

Flora North Corominas, wife of Alfonso

Photos of Alfonso Carominas Sr. holding Alfonso Jr. and Flora North are courtesy of  Julius Anthony Corominas

Read more

 World War Two Heroes in Cebu Philippines

Capt. Federico Arias Reyes 

 https://cbrainard.blogspot.com/2022/03/world-war-two-hero-cebu-federico-reyes.html 

Alfonso Escaño Corominas, Sr.

https://cbrainard.blogspot.com/2022/02/world-war-two-hero-alfonso-escano.html

Dr. Colonel Emilio Veloso Osmeña

https://cbrainard.blogspot.com/2022/02/world-war-two-in-cebu-dr-col-emilio.html 

Conrado Colina Tudtud

https://cbrainard.blogspot.com/2022/02/world-war-two-in-cebu-conrado-colina.html

James M. Cushing

https://cbrainard.blogspot.com/2022/02/world-war-two-in-cebu-james-m-cushing.html

 Herbert Zipper

 https://cbrainard.blogspot.com/2022/01/remembering-dr-herbert-zipper-world-war.html 

 Cecilia Manguerra Brainard Official Website: 

https://ceciliabrainard.com  

 tags: #Philippines #pacificwar #WWII #Worldwartwo #Philippinewar #Cebuwar

 

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