Marching upward
E-mail story
It's easy. Send a link to the story you were just reading to a friend. Just fill out the form on this page and we'll send it along.
Your name and e-mail address are transmitted to the recipient. Otherwise, it is considered private information; see Privacy policy.
BANGUED, Philippines — Though his sometimes-difficult journey through life included the Bataan Death March as a prisoner of war, Eduardo Caba Babia ultimately found his way to the gospel and, at 83, is a strength to the branch here.
Born Oct. 13, 1923, in this city on the northwest side of the northern Philippines island of Luzon, Brother Babia enlisted in the Philippines Army in October 1941 at age 18. The following December 7th, World War II broke out in the Philippines and on April 9, 1942, the Allied Forces surrendered the Philippines to the Japanese.
With other prisoners, Brother Babia was forced to walk more than 50 miles in stifling heat to a concentration camp in what is known as the Bataan Death March. He wanted to escape, but couldn't because his language was not the language, Tagalog, of the people of that area. He and other prisoners of war received a ration of one coffee cup of cooked rice with some water each day and nothing else.
He lost his hair and became very thin because of his experience. As a POW, he saw many die of disease and malnutrition. Up to 16 bodies would be buried in each grave that was dug. He said that there were many doctors but no medicine.
Brother Babia talks reluctantly about his difficult experiences as a prisoner of war. He attributes his survival to the fact he was very strong. Many died during the Bataan Death March due to severe heat, malnutrition and dehydration. On one occasion during their march, they came upon a ditch along the side of the road. He said the guards laughed at the prisoners as they rushed to drink filthy water from the ditch.
He said he was thrilled when he was released Dec. 24, 1942.
During the war, his family back in Bangued and many others left their homes and went into the mountains because of their fear of the Japanese. While they were gone, the Japanese soldiers burned their family home and many others. When asked if he had bitter feelings toward the Japanese, Brother Babia said he did not because the Japanese soldiers were just following orders of their superiors.
Because of educational opportunities offered, Brother Babia transferred to the Philippines Air Force in 1948 and, after serving 30 years, was subject to mandatory retirement at age 48.
While in the military, Eduardo met his future wife, Rose Gomez, in 1951. It was his philosophy that to get married, he must be able to support his family, so they waited three years and were married in 1954. They were blessed with four sons and three daughters.
After retirement from the military, Brother Babia moved his family back to his home town of Bangued. He received a small pension from the government but it wasn't enough to support his family, so he left to work in Manila to help pay for their education.
While he was in Manila, his family was taught the gospel. His children were baptized first, and then his wife.
Brother and Sister Babia's oldest daughter, Caroline, was the Bangued Branch's first missionary, called to the Philippines Davao Mission.
When Sister Babia died June 8, 1986, her husband returned to Bangued to be with his children. He met with the missionaries and was baptized May 22, 1993, in the Abra River at age 70. He said he felt his baptism was comparable to being baptized in the River Jordan.
Six months after his baptism, he was called as president of the Bangued Branch, serving without counselors or a clerk.
Now a high priest, he remains an active member and a strength for others. While, for a time, the Bangued Branch was the Bangued Ward in the Narvacan Stake, Brother Babia was a counselor in the bishopric. He finds joy in helping support missionaries leaving from the branch.
