Aishite Imasu 1941: Mahal Kita - Plot

Plot

The date is December 1941, and the simple folks of the quiet town of San Nicolas are unaware that war is nearing upon them. Inya (Judy Ann Santos) is a lovely young lady who had just married her childhood sweetheart Edilberto (Raymart Santiago) and they're excited about starting a new family. Ignacio Basa (Dennis Trillo) is Inya's best friend, a transgender woman who has been in love with the handsome Edilberto for years. Ignacio falls for Ichiru Hamaguchi (Jay Manalo) a Japanese Army official who returns his affection, but becomes torn between fulfilling his duty to his country and his love for Ignacio.

The arrival of the Japanese throws the town in chaos, days after the Japanese air raid in Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7 - which marked the start of the war. Meanwhile, on December 8, Japanese air bombings included Manila, Baguio, Davao, Iba and Clark fields to signalled the Japanese invasion to the Philippines.

But Edilberto, Inya and Ignacio aren't the only ones the war will change forever. Traitorous Japanese interpreter Maura (Angelu de Leon), strong-willed Tiyang Mabel (Jacklyn Jose), tough guy Anton (TJ Trinidad), and pure hearted Julia (Iya Villania) also get caught in the winds of the war, and find themselves doing things they never thought they'd do... all for the hope of living and dying another day.

Starting on December 1941, the guerrilla leader captain Ediberto Manalang (Raymart Santiago) was named Commander Berto, and was supported by other local guerrilla forces in the town of San Nicolas during the Fall of the Philippines. Meanwhile, battles between the Japanese and USAFFE troops ends in the Battle of Bataan on 1942 and the Bataan Death March begins on April 9, 1942. 76,000 surrendered Filipino and American troops became Prisoners of War under Japanese hands. The defeated troops were forced to march from Bataan to Tarlac.

A few years later, local guerrilla forces led by Captain Inya Marasingan Manalang, who replaced Commander Berto in 1943 before the administration of President Jose P. Laurel of the Second Philippine Republic from Japan, achieved their victories in battles at the town. The local Filipino troops and military officers of the Philippine Commonweatlh Army and Philippine Constabulary units including the local recognized guerrillas fought side by side against the Japanese forces in the Philippines from 1942 to 1945 during the main-battles for the Japanese Conflicts Counter-Insurgencies and Allied Liberation of the Philippines on 1942 to 1945. The liberation of the country by the Allies between the combined Filipino and American soldiers on 1944 to 1945 was helpful to the recognized guerrillas to defeat the Japanese occupation troops and ends World War II.