Fidel Ventura Segundo (24 April 1894 – 6 January 1945) was a Filipino brigadier general and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

hero. He commanded the 1st Regular Division (Philippines) during the invasion by Japan and then survived the

Bataan Death March The Bataan Death March was the Death march, forcible transfer by the Imperial Japanese Army of around 72,000 to 78,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war (POWs) from the municipalities of Bagac and Mariveles on the Bataan Peninsula to Camp ...

. Paroled from prison, Segundo was later executed for aiding the Filipino resistance forces.

Early life and education

Segundo was born in

Laoag Laoag (), officially the City of Laoag (; ), is a component city and capital of the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 111,651 people. It is the province's most populous settlement, ...

Ilocos Norte Ilocos Norte (), officially the Province of Ilocos Norte (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region. It is located in the northwest corner of Luzon island, bordering Cagayan and Apayao to t ...

, the son of Luciano Segundo and Paula Ventura. After completing primary school in Laoag, he attended Manila High School. Segundo then enrolled at the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...

as a pre-med student. Appointed to the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

, he graduated in August 1917. Segundo attended the Air Service Observation School from September 1920 to January 1921. He later graduated from the

Field Artillery School The United States Army Field Artillery School (USAFAS) trains Field Artillery Soldiers and Marines in tactics, techniques, and procedures for the employment of fire support systems in support of the maneuver commander. The school further develo ...

battery officers' course in August 1925 and the Cavalry School troop officers' course in June 1926. Segundo married Angela G. Agcaoili in 1919. They had three sons and a daughter.

Military career

Segundo was commissioned in the

Philippine Scouts The Philippine Scouts ( Filipino: ''Maghahanap ng Pilipinas''/''Hukbong Maghahanap ng Pilipinas'') was a military organization of the United States Army from 1901 until after the end of World War II. These troops were generally Filipinos and ...

and briefly served as a temporary major during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He commanded an artillery battery at Camp Stotsenburg from January 1919 to September 1920 and served as a battery commander with the 24th Field Artillery from September 1926 to May 1929. Segundo was promoted to captain in November 1926 and major in June 1936. He taught military science and tactics at the University of the Philippines from 1929 to 1936. Appointed colonel in the newly created

Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...

in 1936, Segundo led the establishment and training of its field artillery branch. Retaining his U.S. Army commission, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in August 1940. Colonel Segundo assumed command of the 2nd Infantry Regiment (Philippines) in July 1940. He was subsequently appointed superintendent of the

Philippine Military Academy The Philippine Military Academy ( / ) also referred to by its acronym PMA is the premier military academy for Filipinos aspiring for a commission as a military officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). It was established on Decembe ...

in August 1941 and served in that post until directed to evacuate

Baguio Baguio ( , , ), officially the City of Baguio (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. It is known as the "Summer Capital of the Philippines", ...

in December 1941. Segundo was then promoted to brigadier general in the Philippine Army and assumed command of the 1st Regular Division on 19 December 1941. Despite limited training and armament, his division participated in the defense of southern

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

and then fought at Bataan until the April 1942 surrender. As a native Filipino, Segundo was imprisoned at the Capas Concentration Camp. Paroled to Manila, he became an advisor to the underground resistance to the Japanese occupation. Segundo and his son Fidel Jr. were arrested by the Japanese military police on 19 December 1944. After several weeks of harsh interrogation, he was executed in early January 1945 and buried in an unmarked common grave.

Legacy

The segment of the

Pan-Philippine Highway The Pan-Philippine Highway, also known as the Maharlika Highway (; ), is a network of roads, expressways, bridges, and ferry services that connect the islands of Luzon, Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao in the Philippines, serving as the country's p ...

immediately north of his hometown of Laoag is named Gen. Fidel V. Segundo Avenue. In December 1969, a

historical marker A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, bearing text or an image in relief, or both, ...

was erected in Laoag to commemorate him.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Segundo, Fidel 1894 births 1945 deaths People from Laoag University of the Philippines alumni United States Military Academy alumni Academic staff of the University of the Philippines Filipino military personnel of World War II Philippine Army generals of World War II Filipino generals Filipino prisoners of war World War II prisoners of war held by Japan Bataan Death March prisoners Filipino military personnel killed in World War II People executed by Japanese occupation forces Segundo, Fidel