Tracing Conflict Using Ammunition from the Cuartel Site in Borongan City, Philippines

Rian Karl Q. Garrido1*, Juan C. Rofes1, Emil Charles Robles1, and Mark Lucio Cortado, Jr.2

Warfare is ever-changing; technological advancements and battlefield tactics evolve mutually and constantly. However, material remains continue to be crucial in presenting and understanding historical narratives. Using methodologies from battlefield archaeology, this study aims to create a narrative of conflict from the ammunition found in the Cuartel site in Borongan, Eastern Samar. Oral histories identify the site as a battle location between Filipino guerillas and Japanese forces during the Second World War, although combat reports are scant. The study attempts to establish a typology of the remains as well as a temporal context of the ammunition found. It is possible to create a typology based on calliper-based measurements and relative visual comparisons. However, dating ammunition requires methodical laboratory-based metallurgical analysis, as well as studying industrial patterns of pertinent factions in the conflict, namely, the United States of America, Imperial Japan, and the Philippines. Using the diagnostic features of the ammunition helps to narrow the possible timeframe.