Book Review: "My Road Back" by Erasto R. Batongmalaque

 My Road Back by Erasto R. Batongmalaque, with Jenny L. Batongmalaque, M. D. "An Epitaph for My Father" and "The Erasto R. Batongmalaque Foundation"

When I assisted Dr. Jenny Batongmalaque with an anniversary observance of the return of Gen. MacArthur to the Philippines, I became familiar with the book My Road Back which Dr. Jenny and her family arranged to have published as an activity of the Erasto R. Batongmalaque Foundation, which Dr. Jenny and her family set up many years ago to assist Filipino World War II vets--and there are still a few around.

Her father, who spent much of his life in the Filipino military, fought in World War II, survived the Bataan Death March and subsequent imprisonment, and immigrated to the United States after he retired from his last job--supervisor with a police force in the Philippines. He wrote his memoirs in 1964. He died in 1995 in Riverside, California, and was buried at Green Hills Memorial Park at Rancho Palos Verdes, California. 

After his death, his daughter, Jenny, a doctor, published his memoirs. It's unclear whether a brief narration from his pocket-sized diary that he kept at Camp O'Donnel as a prisoner of war, dated 1942, was included in the 1964 memoirs, or was inserted by his family prior to publication. 

When Dr. Jenny arranged for the first printing of My Road Back in March 2004, she added her own epitaph for her father, and a section about the Erasto R. Batongmalaque Foundation (doing business as the Filipino Veterans Foundation). The second printing of this book, which I assisted with, contained this material along with a section about her mother, some family photos, Dr. Jenny's account of her own visit to Bataan where her father surrendered to the invading Japanese, and some news reports (including one by me). Not having seen the earlier printing of this book, I can't say whether that earlier printing contained the section on her mother, or the Bataan visit, and I know some of the reprinted news accounts were recent enough that they couldn't have been part of the 2004 printing.

I wish I'd read this book earlier, for it greatly increased my understanding of the family and the foundation that I did some work for. A first-hand account of life in the Philippines during World War II, and the period immediately before and after, is rare here in the USA, and increases our understanding of both the country and the conflict. 

Dr. Jenny apparently also wrote a book back in 1996, which I haven't had the opportunity to ask her about. It was titled, A Few Precious Days: The Plight of Filipino American Veterans of WWII. According to Amazon, it is out of print. There is a page for it on the Goodreads site, but the page is a stub that contains no additional information.

You may contact the Erasto R. Batongmalaque Foundation (their website is listed below) to obtain a copy the most recent printing of My Road Back. It's recommended for anyone who has an interest in either the Philippines or World War II. 

Goodreads does not, as of this post, have a page for The Road Back. When I made a request for one, I was told to provide a scan of the barcode and the cover, so I may be able to get a page for The Road Back posted on Goodreads soon.

Web:

Erasto R. Batongmalaque Foundation:  https://www.erbfoundation.com/

Sales of My Road Back from Erasto R. Batongmalaque Foundation:  https://www.erbfoundation.com/my-road-back

Goodreads entry for Dr. Jenny's 1996 book, although it's a stub which needs additional information:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/126883701-a-few-precious-days?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=zmWiFTCOnC&rank=1