Talisay MacArthur Monument – Larawan Beach

Description

On 26 March 1945, units of the 132nd and 182nd Infantry Regiments of the US 401st Division landed on Talisay Beach aided by pre-landing bombardment from Task Force 74. Before the landing, the Cebu guerrilla, which boasted 8,500 men and an extensive intelligence network in the province, alerted the American troops of the Japanese Forces’ plan to scatter landmines in the projected landing areas to delay the American advance. Armed with this knowledge, the Americans, together with the Cebuano guerrillas under Colonel James M. Cushing, overcame the obstacle and proceeded to liberate Cebu City.

The Landing in Talisay is part of the Operation Victor II which was implemented by Gen Douglas MacArthur to retrieve the island of Cebu, Bohol, and Negros from the Japanese Forces. It paved the way to the liberation of Cebu on 27 March 1945, and the surrender of the Japanese Forces in the province on 29 August 1945.

To honor the heroic deeds of the Cebu veterans, Republic Act No. 7280 was enacted in 1992 declaring March 26 of every year a special non-working holiday in the municipality of Talisay, Cebu. It was later expanded in 2013 under Republic Act No. 10359 to include the entire province of Cebu

- Source: https://pvao.gov.ph/events/landing-in-talisay-cebu/