ðə mˈɛn ʌvðə wˈʌnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi sˈɪksθ ˌɑːɹsˌiːtˈiː kwˈɪkli fˈænd ˈaʊt, wɪð tˈuː bɐtˈæliənz stɹˈaɪkɪŋ nˈɔːɹθ ɐlˈɔŋ ðɪ ˈiːstɚn sˈaɪd ʌv pwˈɛɹɾoʊ pɹˈɪnssə hˈɑːɹbɚ wˌaɪl ɐ θˈɜːd bɐtˈæliən kɹˈɔst ðə bˈeɪ æɾ ɪts mˈɪdpɔɪnt ænd ðˈɛn pˈʊʃt nˈɔːɹθ, bˌʌt ðˈɛn æz ðə fˈɜːst dˈeɪ pɹəɡɹˈɛst, ɪt bɪkˌeɪm klˈɪɹ tə ðɪ ɪnvˈeɪdɪŋ ɐmˈɛɹɪkən tɹˈuːps ðætðə dʒˌæpənˈiːz tɹˈuːps—hˈoʊldoʊvɚz fɹʌm ˌɛltˈiː. dʒˈɛn. səsˈɑːkuː suːzˈuːkiz θˈɜːɾi fˈɪfθ ˈɑːɹmi—wʊd nˌɑːt pˌʊt ˌʌp ɐ fˈaɪt æt pwˈɛɹɾoʊ pɹˈɪnssə ænd hæd wɪθdɹˈɔːn ˌɪntʊ ðə hˈɪlz tə ðə nɔːɹθwˈɛst.
The men of the 186th RCT quickly fanned out, with two battalions striking north along the eastern side of Puerto Princesa Harbor while a third battalion crossed the bay at its midpoint and then pushed north, but then as the first day progressed, it became clear to the invading American troops that the Japanese troops—holdovers from Lt. Gen. Sōsaku Suzuki's 35th Army—would not put up a fight at Puerto Princesa and had withdrawn into the hills to the northwest.