Lokacin da Amurkawa suka haɗu da Manila daga wurare daban-daban, sun gano cewa yawancin sojojin sojojin Japan da ke kare birnin sun janye zuwa garin Baguio, bisa ga umarnin Janar Tomoyuki Yamashita, babban kwamandan sojojin Japan a Philippines. Yamashita ya shirya ya shiga sojojin Filipino da na Amurka a arewacin Luzon a cikin wani kamfen da aka tsara, da nufin sayen lokaci don gina kariya daga mamayewar Allied na tsibirin Japan. Yana da manyan kungiyoyi uku a karkashin umurninsa: 80,000 maza na kungiyar Shimbu a tsaunukan gabashin Manila, 30,000 na Kembu Group a tsaunukan arewacin Manila, da 152,000 a cikin kungiyar Shobubu a arewa maso gabashin Manila.
Sojojin Japan a cikin Philippines