Marston Mats are All Over Iloilo

Quick preface: I do not romanticize war. 

If you want to put into concrete terms the havoc it brings, do this: 

1. Grab a hammer 

2. Hit random things in your room for 40 seconds.

War does way more than that. 

This post in an invitation to look into your built environment and encourage you to ask: That looks odd. Where does it come from? 

And off we go.

Perforated steel plankings (Marston mats) is used to build temporary runways or landing strips. Think of them as steel pavements with evenly sized and evenly spaced steel holes. 

Each plank can be interlinked to create a wider surface. 

Marston mats are all over Iloilo City, particularly in Molo and Mandurriao. You will also see bits and pieces of them all over Oton. It got me wonder: where do these all come from?

I haven't found any photo of airfields in WW2 Iloilo that have Marston mats installation. But I've found that there are a number of airfields that served US forces during the Second World War: 

Mandurriao Airstrip aka Law Airstrip: It later became a civilian airport until Iloilo International Airport opened in Cabatuan.

Sta Barbara Airport: I saw this referenced on PacificWrecks.com as a "single runway surfaced with clay." The clay was likely padded with Marston Mats. However, on Cabatuan.com, I've read that: Sta Barbara Airport is in fact Tiring Landing Field. 

Tiring Landing Field (TLF): An unpaved airfield where the WW2 Japanese forces surrendered. It is now called Iloilo International Airport, part of the Municipality of Cabatuan.