meeting the commanding officer of the 1st Bn, 129th Infantry, 37th Division in late January
or early February 1945. US NARA photo. The place was behind Fort Stotsenburg, in the Sapang Bato
Mountains.
WWII HEROES PROJECT 2025
KUDIARO LAXAMANA & THE WWII AETA NEGRITO MOUNTAIN PATROL OF CLARK-STOTSENBURG AREA
It was a rarity in the history of WWII in the Philippines where Indigenous People, as in this case, an Aeta Negrito from the mountains of Porac (Tamboa,Dias, Muzon, Sapang Ebos, Camachiles, Magkabayo), became a commanding officer of the 1st Provisional Company of Negrito Scouts, under the umbrella command of Captain Henry Clay Conner of the 155 Squadron, Luzon Guerrilla Forces operating in the mountains south of Clark – Fort Stotsenburg area.
With more than 500 Aeta warriors in the mountains of Floridablanca, Porac and Angeles, constituting the Northwest Pampanga area, Kudiaro Laxamana, along with other tribal leaders of the Aetas of Porac area like King Tomas, were organized as an effective guerrilla force of the Negrito mountain patrol in 1943 until 1945, under the command of Captain Conner and Eugenio Soliman. By February 1945, his official status and command are as follows:
Major Kudiaro Laxamana
1st Provisional Company Negrito Scouts
Headquarters 155 Squadron
Luzon Guerrilla Forces LGF
Stotsenburg from January until early February 1945.
Source: History of the 37th Division.
In the first photo, Kudiaro is meeting the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, 129th Infantry, 37th Division US Army in the vicinity of Top of the World (now Clark Hilton and D’Heights Resorts and Casino Clark). In my research analysis, the photo must have been taken on the end of January 1945 or February 1, 1945, when the 1st Battalion, 129th Infantry was operating in the attack on Top of the World, attached to the 40th Division U.S. Army which was in charge of the sector of operation. Then Major Laxamana was accompanied by Major Eugenio Soliman, Captain Agustin and his Aeta Negrito Warriors.
In the second photo, Kudiaro is wearing a complete set of American field uniform, given to him by an officer of the 108th Infantry, 40th Division, U.S. Army operating in the mountains behind Fort Stotsenburg in the south and southwest region of Sapang Bato and behind Top of the World. The period of this combat operation of the 108th Infantry was in February (until the 18th), where the 1st and 3rd Battalion was embattled with the Eguchi Detachment of the Kembu Group, holed on the mountain positions with tunnel defenses. The photograph was made available by the Family of Captain Henry Clay Conner and Leo Mark Lugtu.
D’Heights Resorts and Casino – Clark, where he was operating with his unit
with the 108th Infantry, 40th Division in February 1945.
The Aeta Negritos of Fort Stotsenburg – Bamban Hills were important factors in the overall command operations of the American divisions in charge of clearing the Kembu Group, due to their knowledge of the terrain of the mountain positions of the Japanese.
Many of the collections of Kudiaro Laxamana are now in the permanent exhibit at the Bamban WWII Museum. Daniel Laxamana donated photographs, copy of papers and the burial flag (American), as shown in the third photo.
courtesy of the Laxamana Family. Photo taken at the Bamban Museum, with Kudiaro’s
son, Daniel Laxamana.
© 2025 Rhonie Dela Cruz
2025 Bamban Historical Society
Bamban WWII Museum
Center for Pacific War Studies
Provincial Government of Tarlac –
Tarlac Provincial Tourism Office
