Palawan Special Batallion WW2 Memorial Museum


Although, it’s very seldom I hear of tourists coming to this city looking for a museum as most people come to Palawan for island hopping, beach fun, the Underground River and exploring nature.  However, for those who have enough time to spend and are interested in checking out some museums, particularly history and relics belonging to WWII, this might be a good option. 

When people talk of WWII history in the Philippines, it’s always Cavite, Bataan, Manila and those death march places. Little has been cited about this province’s involvement during that time but Palawan has not been spared of the atrocities of that war.

The Palawan Special Battalion WW2 Memorial Museum houses the private collection of Higinio C. Mendoza Jr. or Buddy Mendoza. 


And who is Buddy, you may ask? 

He is from a long line of prominent Palawenoes bearing the same last name.  If you’re wandering around the city centre, you might pass or may have passed along the H.Mendoza Street and the Mendoza Park.

Buddy Mendoza is a businessman and an active officer in the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary (PCGA).  The memorial museum was constructed in honor of his father, the late Dr. Higinio C. Mendoza Sr. – along with the 190 war guerilla fighters - who resisted the invading Japanese army during WWII.   His father is a local hero who was arrested by the Japanese soldiers and was beheaded in 1944.   


The museum artifacts are mostly owned by Buddy, although there are few pieces that were donated by people who got interested in the project.

While at the museum, you can take some good pictures on board the replica of the MacArthur jeep mounted with a three-caliber Browning machine gun and the 1957 black vintage Super Buick car parked just at the entrance.


The Palawan Special Battalion WW2 Memorial Museum was opened to the public on Dec. 7, 2011 at Buddy’s home along Jose Rizal Ave. in Barangay Bancao-Bancao, couple of kilometers away after the city’s airport.  Entry was free then until a need to cover its maintenance and personnel expenses have arised.  The staff are very friendly and enthusiastic in providing information and touring guests around the museum.
There is a small library with collections of books and a souvenir shop.

Don’t forget to check the names of the guerilla fighters on one of the walls, you never know who you might happen to spot on the list. My cousin’s visiting husband found his grandfather on the list, isn’t that a remarkable coincidence?
How to get there:
Take a tricycle for P8 – 10 per passenger and tell the driver to drop you off at the WW2 Memorial Museum, it’s way past the airport.  Leaving the museum, there are tricycles also passing by just in front of the museum.
Entry Fee:  P30. Discount applies to students, children and senior citizens.



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