Chapter 46
0430 Hours
August 20, 1943
Los Baños Internment Camp
University of the Philippines,
School of Agriculture
Laguna de Bay
63 Kilometers South of Manila
In the late 16th century, wealthy Spanish colonists began making the short trip from Manila to the southern shore of Laguna de Bay, the largest freshwater lake in the Philippines. Suffering from arthritis or gout, they sought the soothing waters of the hot springs that flowed from the base of Mount Makiling. Sandwiched between the dormant volcano and the lake, the town of Los Baños sprung up to cater to the stricken pilgrims.
By the early 1900s, the Philippine Commonwealth had established a university with an agricultural school in Los Baños. For the next 40 years, two generations of Filipino landowners, animal breeders, a
