Valeriano Abello Explained

Valeriano Ibañez Abello (1913–2000) was a Filipino civilian who was given the Philippine Legion of Honor for his efforts during World War II to aid the US Navy against the Japanese. He is most remembered today in Boy Scouting literature.

Battle of Leyte

During the United States Navy's assault on Leyte on 18 October 1944, three former Boy Scouts, Valeriano Ibañez Abello, Antero Junia, and Vicente Tistón, mobilised and took action due to the extreme danger to the civilian populations posed by the naval bombardment. Acting as sender, receiver, and paddler respectively, Abello, Junia, and Tistón established communication with ship 467 using signalling (learned in youth as Scouts of Troop 11), identified themselves "Boy Scouts of America," pushed out by bangkâ (outrigger canoe), got capsized by Japanese fire, swam to the ship, and were taken aboard. They provided information pinpointing Japanese installations and diverting shelling away from populated areas of Tolosa, Leyte.^[1] Their intrepid actions made good copy for war correspondents on board ship. For their heroism, Abello was conferred the Philippine Legion of Honor by Pres. Ramón Magsaysáy in 1956,^[2] a statue representing Abello was erected in Telegrafó, and Signal Day would be observed annually on 18 October.

An attempt by relatives to have Abello buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani failed.

Discrepancy

Sources are inconsistent about Abello's companions. They are named:

• "Antero Junia, Vicente Pomanes" in Boys' Life, Vol. XXXV, No. 7, July 1945, p 26;
• "Anterio Junua and Vicente Cononigo" in Saunders, The Left Handshake, 1949, p 81;
• "Antero Junia and Vicente Canonigo" in Philippine Scouting, May–June 1953;
• "Antero Junia and Vicente Teston" in BSP Diamond Jubilee Yearbook, 1996, p 148;
• "Antero Junio and Vicente Teston" in On My Honor, BSP, 2001, p 104;
• "Antero Junia Sr. and Vicente Tiston" in Philippine News Agency, 18 Oct 2008 and Philippine News Agency, 17 Oct 2010;
• "Antero Junia Sr. and Vicente Tiston" in InterAksyon, 20 Oct 2013;
• "Antero Zunia and Vicente Tiston" in Manila Bulletin, 10 Nov 2013;
• "Antero Zunia and Vicente Tiston" in FAQ.ph, 16 Oct 2014;
• "Antero Zunia and Vicente Tiston" in Choose Philippines, 26 Nov 2014;

Most plausible, perhaps, are the comments of OpinYon publisher Ray L. Junia made in a speech during the commemoration of Signal Day at Telegrafo, Tolosa, Leyte, on October 18, 2015:

^[3]

References

• Stutler, Boyd, "Abello of Leyte" in The American Legion Magazine, Volume 38, No. 3, March 1945.
• Boy Scouts of the Philippines, 1996, Diamond Jubilee Yearbook, Manila: Boy Scouts of the Philippines, 1996, p 148,
• Boy Scouts of the Philippines, 2001, On My Honor: stories of Scouts in action, Manila: Boy Scouts of the Philippines, pp 104–105.
• Boy Scouts of the Philippines, Scouting for Filipino Boys, volume 1, Manila: Boy Scouts of the Philippines, 1949.
• Philippine Scouting Magazine, Manila: Boy Scouts of the Philippines, May–June 1953.
• Saunders, Hilary Adan St George, The Left Handshake: The Boy Scout Movement During the War, 1939-1945, London: Collins, 1949. http://www.thedump.scoutscan.com/lefthandshake.pdf

Notes and References

1. The bombardment reportedly killed hundreds of civilians in various places, notably Dulag, Leyte.
2. https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/briefer-on-the-philippine-legion-of-honor/ Briefer on the Philippine Legion of Honor
3. http://www.opinyon.com.ph/index.php/feature/873-let-us-all-be-heroes Ray L. Junia, "Let Us All Be Heroes," OpinYon, 27 October 2015