13/09/2026
Today, September 14, 2026, marks the 83rd anniversary of the establishment of the Bulacan Military Area (BMA), which was organized in September 1943 during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. The BMA became an important resistance organization in Bulacan, bringing together guerrilla units and local forces in a coordinated effort against the Japanese. Captain Alejo S. Santos emerged as its commanding officer and played a major role in reorganizing and consolidating the BMA into a more structured military organization. By December 1943, its headquarters had a General Staff composed of Alejo S. Santos as Division Commander, Lino Natividad as Chief of Staff, Delfin S. Castro as G-1, Sebastian S. Tomacruz as G-2, Nicolas Rodrigo as G-3, Juan San Pedro as G-4 and Juan E. Sevilla as Adjutant General. The BMA was organized into four regiments covering extensive areas of Bulacan: the 1st Regiment under Lt. Col. Maximo Abaรฑo in Meycauayan, Marilao, Bocaue, Polo and Obando; the 2nd Regiment under Lt. Col. A. P. Maclang in Malolos, Paombong, Hagonoy and Calumpit; the 3rd Regiment under Lt. Col. Alfredo E. Cruz, mayor of Bustos, in Bustos, San Rafael, Baliuag, Pulilan and Plaridel; and the 4th Regiment under Lt. Col. Pedro Viudez in San Ildefonso and San Miguel, with a special mobile unit under Lt. Col. Fausto Alberto. The organization demonstrated the wide reach and coordinated nature of the Bulacan resistance. Its members faced tremendous risks and sacrifices, including the April 16, 1944 encounter with Japanese forces in Bocaue, where Lt. Cols. Lino Natividad, Nicolas Rodrigo and Juan San Pedro were killed. Lt. Cols. Luis Macam and Gregorio Panganiban, organizers of the Hagonoy-Calumpit Units, were also killed, while Lt. Col. Alfredo E. Cruz was captured and subsequently killed by the Japanese.
Eighty-three years after the establishment of the BMA, we remember not only its military organization but more importantly, the men and women who stood together in defense of Bulacan and the Philippines. The history of the Bulacan Military Area is a history of courage, organization, sacrifice and resistance being one of the darkest periods in our history..๐ต๐ญ