Ramon A. Alcaraz

Commodore Ramon Abacan Alcaraz (August 31, 1915 – June 25, 2009) was a Filipino World War II hero, Naval officer, and businessman best known as a recipient of the Silver Star for heroism and gallantry as part of the Offshore Patrol unit of the U.S. Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) during the Second World War; and as one of the earliest critics of the Marcos dictatorship within the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Alcaraz was born on August 31, 1915, in Quingua, Bulacan, Central Luzon, Philippines.

Son of Domingo Lipana Alcaraz and Maxima Cruz Abacan.

He is the oldest of two brothers, Marciano 'Rocky' (Capt., Philippine Navy, Ret.).

He also had many sisters including Fe, Jacoba, Efigenia, and Lucila.

He entered the Philippine Military Academy at Teachers Camp, Baguio, Mountain Province, Philippines from June 15, 1936, to March 15, 1940, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree.

Alcaraz was a writer for the PMA publication "Corps" and the bantam weight boxing champion in 1937 and 1938.

After graduating as a member of the Philippine Military Academy's Pioneer class of 1940, he joined the USAFFE's Offshore Patrol (which would eventually become of the Philippine Navy) and was given command of the motor torpedo boat Q-112 Abra.

Alcaraz graduating among the 79 members (originally 120 cadets) from the Class of 1940 "The Pioneer Class".

His class was the first group of graduates to finish the four year curriculum, as the previous curriculum was only three years.

In 1941, he voluntarily joined and graduated from the Army's newly formed Offshore Patrol (OSP) Training School in Manila as part of the USAFFE forces.

In command of the Abra, he earned a Silver Star for an engagement on January 17, 1942, where the Abra shot down three low-flying Japanese planes which were attacking US and Filipino forces holed up in Bataan.

On January 17, 1942, while on patrol along the east coast of Bataan in Manila Bay with Q-111 Luzon, they were spotted by nine Japanese dive bombers that was travelling towards the Bataan coastline.

The two torpedo boats turned to engage the Japanese enemy aircraft at full speed, and laying down accurate machine gun fire to shoot down three of the nine aircraft.

Their attack was successful that it forced the remaining damaged Japanese planes to return to their base, thus preventing them to complete their bombing mission on Bataan installations.

For their actions, he was immediately promoted to Captain by General MacArthur in Corregidor and awarded the Silver Star for heroism and gallantry in action.

On April 10, 1942, to prevent their boat capture by the Japanese, Captain Alcaraz's Q-112 Abra was scuttled at night near the shore of Paombong coast, four miles off Bataan's east coast.

He and his crew floated to shore using Bamboo poles but spotted by two search lights from Japanese patrol boats.

They were subsequently incarcerated in Malolos, Bulacan POW Camp.

Alcaraz was shortly appointed as Head among the POW prisoners, and took care of his fellow POWs in that capacity but was likewise held accountable for any escape.

Alcaraz immediately used the sense of humor.

Despite of his disheartened state, Alcaraz befriended the Japanese and joked often flattered his enemy's ego by asking to recount their battle victories.

When new prisoners arrived with their hands tightly bound behind their back, Alcaraz would have Japanese soldiers untie them.

Alcaraz felt responsible for keeping his fellow POWs alive and make their lives better the best way he could.

It was during the many story-telling hours that his men enjoyed a respite from hard labor by just sitting and pretending to listen to the Japanese soldier's stories.

At fall-in formations and other ceremonies, where POWs were required to hail "Banzai."

Alcaraz would join in with his boisterous native version of "Bankay" (corpse), and the Japanese would roar with approval.

By then, Alcaraz humor had become part and parcel of his escape plan, resulted in a less tortuous POW experience for his comrades compared with the unspeakable experiences the POWs endured at Camp O’Donnell.

Notably, not a single death was registered at the Malolos POW camp.

After four months, Alcaraz was released after undergoing months thru an intensive "rejuvenation program" on August 10, 1942.

He was paroled and instructed to be re-trained to join the Bureau of Constabulary at the Torres High School in Gagalangin, Tondo.

In September 1942, he graduated as a police officer and was told that his first assignment was at Lanao del Norte province in Mindanao.

Alcaraz faked that he has malaria illness and was confined to a hospital in San Lazaro.

In 1959, he went to United States to study at the Naval War College – Command Course at Newport, Rhode Island.

After graduation, he assigned as a 3rd Lieutenant to the Philippine Commonwealth Army.

Nineteen months later, he volunteered to the newly formed Offshore Patrol unit of the Army and promoted as a 2nd Lieutenant with the OSP – Sea duty forces.

A few weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he was promoted as a 1st Lieutenant after he was inducted into the U.S. Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE).

He was the Commanding Officer of the Q-112 Abra, a 55 ft stepped-hull torpedo boat with aftward launch torpedo chutes built for the Philippine Commonwealth Government by the British shipbuilding firm John I. Thornycroft & Company – one of three "Q-boat" torpedo boats used by the Offshore Patrol (OSP) during the war.

Alcaraz’ heroic actions led to him being imprisoned twice – first as a prisoner of war of the Japanese forces during their occupation of the Philippines in World War II, and second by the Presidential Security Group in 1972 after the declaration of Martial Law.

In 2013 the Philippine Navy named the frigate BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16) in his honor – the first Philippine Navy ship to be named after a naval hero.