This is the unofficial but frequently used motto of Guam given the island's proximity to the International Date Line. Quite a paradox given that even though Guam is the westernmost point and territory of the United States of America, the Guamanians are the first to enjoy the sunlight of the day among those covered by the American flag. We all know that the sun rises from the east.
Guam's land area is at 210 square miles. It is a tiny territory when compared to Continental US (2,959,064 square miles), Alaska (663,300 square miles), and Hawaii (10,931 square miles). But despite its diminutive size, Guam is never lacking in the richness of its history, especially about being first.
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| Map of Guam. The island is 9X larger than Manhattan Island but 8X smaller than Bohol Island. |
The original, meaning first, inhabitants of Guam were the Chamorro people who originated from Southeast Asia in early 2,000 B.C. The Chamorros are related to other Austronesian peoples of Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan.
Did you know that 10 days before explorer-extraordinaire Ferdinand Magellan reached the Philippines, he first visited Guam in Mar 6, 1521? It was the first contact Europeans had with the island. The traditional story has it that Magellan landed at the pristine Umatac Bay, but this is a subject of much scholarly debate based on the route the ships had reported taking to that point. Umatac Bay was, however, the site of many subsequent visits from European explorers and today the nearby village hosts an annual Discovery Day festival, which celebrates native Chamorro culture.
Guam was colonized by Spain in 1668 with the arrival of settlers, including a Jesuit missionary by the name of Diego Luis de San Vitores. If this name is soundly familiar to Catholics in the Philippines, it is because this Jesuit is the one that recruited the young Pedro Calungsod to be part of a team of catechists that came to Guam, which together with the islands in the area were then known as "Islas de los Ladrones" at that time. It was the Jesuit missionary that renamed the group of islands the "Islas Marianas" to honor both the Blessed Virgin Mary and the mission's benefactress Maria Ana of Austria, Queen Regent of Spain. The Spanish mission had initial success and in 1669, the Jesuit established the first Catholic church in Guam and dedicated it to the sweet name of Mary, "Dolce Nombre de Maria." By 1672, relationship between the missionaries and the Chamorro elite have gone sour and worsened to the point that in April 2, 1672, Chamorro chieftains by the names of Mata'pang and Hirao killed the Spanish Jesuit and his Filipino catechist-assistant. The martyred Pedro Calungsod became the 2nd Filipino saint with the official canonization by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. There is actually a San Vitores Martrydom Site listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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| Angono artist Daryl Tudela painting of Saint Pedro Calungsod and Jesuit Diego Luis de San Vitores on their journey to Guam. |
For almost 400 years, Guam was part of the Kingdom of Spain but with the defeat of Spain by the US of A in the 1898 Spanish-American War, control of the island went to the Americans, specifically the US Navy.
Did you know that Guam was the first US territory attacked and captured by the imperial Japanese forces after the attack on Pearl Harbor? Only a handful of hours have gone by after the end of the Japanese raids in Hawaii when the attack on Guam commenced in Dec 8, 1941 which resulted in the surrender of the American garrison two days after. This is the First Battle of Guam and this is not the one celebrated in island.
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| US troops hit the beach in the Second Battle of Guam. |
The one that is celebrated with a holiday in Guam is actually the Second Battle of Guam which was the American recapture of the Japanese-held island of Guam from July 21 to Aug 10, 1944. Operation Forager , the Allied plan for the invasion of the Marianas, called for the retaking of Saipan, Tinian and Guam. These islands were chosen due to their size and suitability as a base for supporting the next stage of operations towards the Philippines, Taiwan and parts of Japan. The 2nd Battle of Guam was a slugfest between 48,000 American troops versus 19,000 Japanese troops. More than 95% of the Japanese contingent were killed including its overall commanding general who was KIA a week after the start of hostilities.
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| Liberation Day commemorates the start of the Battle of Guam in 1944. |
After World War II was over, community leader Agueda Iglesias Johnston convinced US military leaders on Guam to support a celebration to commemorate the Liberation of the island from the Japanase. This celebration continues to this day as one of Guam's holidays - Liberation Day , which is celebrated on July 21st. Unfortunately, with the global pandemic upon us in 2020, Liberation Day events, like parades and carnivals, were cancelled. Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero said she was not willing to expose the safety of the people. But she and other govt officials in Guam added that there may be ways to celebrate virtually.
Perhaps as a response to the virtual suggestion, Pinoy Guam Runners (PGR) is organizing the Battle of Guam Run as part of the Virtual Takbo (VT) series of the Pinoy Runners Global (PRG). It is a virtual run from July 21 to July 27 with multiple distances of 7kms, 21kms and 44kms that runners can choose from.
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| A group of PGR runners after doing a Battle of Guam Run on July 21. A healthy mix of young and not so young. |
The Bicolano Penguin (BP) had a chance to converse with the "Barangay Captain" of PRG - Elcid Fernandez Garcia thru the efforts of PRG's "mother-rator" Rona. I asked Kap Elcid to talk about Guam and what is the purpose of the Battle of Guam Run. These words are his reply:
"Guam has a remarkable history. It is a paradise with a resilient people. Dami po kasi history dito sa Guam. Purpose ko para sa Battle of Guam Run, I want to recognize po Island of Guam, kasi in my experience dami po kasi di alam ang Guam lalo na Territory pa ng US. And dito po let's say every race event po dito mga 50% po sumasali sa mga event ay dugong Pinoy. It is a big honor po na ma-recognize ang Guam."
Honor and history. You can feel in the words of Kap Elcid his pride of Guam and its honorable history. Certainly, PGR's leader is no stranger to history and honor. His very name evokes it. His first name "Elcid" means "the Master" and is actually the moniker of a Spanish knight in medieval times who is the National Hero of Spain. Kudos to the parents for coming up with a valiant name for their son. Speaking of the parents, Kap Elcid's father is Jesus Garcia, Jr.. , the 1973 Tour of Luzon Champion and a hard working advocate for the development of cycling in Pangasinan and the whole of the Philippines. Elcid's father is a big name in the history of Philippine cycling. While not as grand as the father, Kap Elcid is beginning to make a name for himself, not in cycling, but in the community of runners in Guam. A member of the 50-year old Guam Running Club (GRC), he was recognized as the 2018 GRC Runner of the Year.
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| Kap Elcid at GRC's awarding of the 2018 Runner of the Year. With him is one of the youth runners he is training. |
Now that we have heard a leader of Pinoy Guam Runners, perhaps it is also a good thing to hear the thoughts and feelings of Elcid's running compatriots in the island. While PGR maybe small in number when compared to the bigger barangays of the PRG diaspora around the world, Barangay Guam is a hub of very active and very passionate runners with roots from our dear Lupang Hinirang. The BP is blessed to be facebook friends with a few runners from Guam and I took the opportunity to ask them a few questions. Hereunder is the Q&A:
1. You are a member of Pinoy Runners Guam? Why join?
Jacqueline Donor (JD): Yes. I (we) love to run, it's our passion and because of lockdown they created one for Guam to stay active.
Roy Burgos (RB): Yes. I am a member of Pinoy Runners Guam. The reason why I join, as a Filipino I wanted to represent our island, to show the Filipino community in the Philippines what Guam athletics can do instead of being left behind.
Aileen Honrado (AH): I first joined Pinoy Runners Global when the pandemic started. With all the cancellations of weekend races and some major one off-island, I miss running so I joined a lot of virtual races instead and so as some of my friends. After lockdown, runners here we're back on the road putting some mileage in. We decided to start our own barangay Pinoy Guam Runner (PGR) as part of the Pinoy Runners Global. We are a group of Pinoy Runners who enjoy running or looking for inspiration to take the next steps to a more active life. PGR is a running motivation group open to all runners in all levels.
2. How do you find life living in Guam? Is it paradise for you?
JD: Yes, small island but paradise.
RB: I am born and raised here in Guam and life here is very peaceful.
AH: Definitely a paradise! I'm from here but we are a military family , so we've lived in the states, Germany, Korea, and other places. We also visited many places but our little paradise is the best place to retire and enjoy life. You will fall in love with its beautiful beachers, culture, and people. Life here is more relax, no pollution, no heavy traffic that means less stress.
3. Why join in the celebration of Liberation Day (Guam Jul 21)? Why run in the Battle of Guam Run?
JD: I join the run to commemorate the celebration of Guam.
RB: To reflect the history of Guam, what they have gone through during World War 2. I join the run to represent our island's history.
AH: Liberation Day celebrates the war survivors who are with us today, as well as the brave servicemen who fought and won the battle for Guam. I join the run to dedicate my run to all brave survivors of the war and to inspire people in our community and Pinoy(s) around the globe.
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| After her 7km Battle of Guam Run, Jacqueline Donor having some fun with the statue at Two Lovers Point. |
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| Running towards Two Lovers Point, Roy Burgos going for 7kms of the Battle of Guam Run. |
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| Flying a small Guam flag, Aileen Honrado getting ready for the Battle of Guam Run. |
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| Flags of our Fathers kind of vibe for our Pinoy Guam Runners. |
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| Weekend warriors gather in the island for the Battle of Guam Run. |
Talking to Barangay Guam's Kap and some of its members, one gets the sense that Guam maybe a paradise but its people, particularly its runners, are no slouch happy to be just lazing breezily under the magnificent tropical sun. Nope, far from it. Our compatriots in Guam are hard working in organizing activities to further the cause of Pinoy Running and they are pioneering in their ways. Imagine, from one of the smallest barangays comes one of the first Virtual Takbo events. Kudos to that.
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| From East Asia, Middle East and the US, Pinoy Runners are joining the Battle of Guam Run. |
Kudos also to the countless Pinoy Runners from many barangays who joined the past few days and will be joining the next few days the Battle of Guam Run. It is their way of showing solidarity with solemates.
Biba Guam. Mabuhay ang Pinoy Runners.
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