Liwasan ng Kalayaan at Bantayog ng Pagdaong | Liberation Park and Landing Monument

Official Name: Liberation Park and Landing Monument[1]

Classification Status: Heritage Monuments, Sites and Zones of the City of Talisay, Cebu[1]

Town or City: Talisay

Year Declared: 2009[1]

Legislation: 3rd SP Ordinance No. 2009-14[1]

Description:
The monument is dedicated to memorialize the Talisay Landing, or the arrival of American forces in Cebu to liberate the island from the Japanese.[2]

A set of seven life-sized statues and a historical marker, the lead statue armed with pistol represents General William Arnold, commander of the Americal Division.

On 26 March 1945, units of the 132nd and 182nd Infantry Regiments of the Americal Division landed on Talisay Beach supported by the US Navy Task Force 78.2 commanded by Captain Albert T. Sprague aided by pre-landing bombardment from Task Force 74. Before the landing, the Cebu guerrilla force, of 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 was part of the Operation Victor II which was implemented by LTG Robert Eichelberger’s 8th Army to take the island of Cebu, Bohol, and Negros from the enemy 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.[3]

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Source:
1. https://ncca.gov.ph/philippine-registry-cultural-property-precup/
2. https://www.philstar.com/the-freeman/cebu-lifestyle/2016/05/26/1586918/gabii-sa-kabilin-participating-museums-and-sites-part-4
3. https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=2291&MemID=3006