McArthurs error was to cut checks he couldn’t cover. He promised to deliver a useful army with the resources he was given and of course could not.
In one sense he had no choice. He had to get the Filipinos to buy in for the sake of US strategy, so he had to, as they say about diplomats, go abroad to lie for his country.
Of course he was heroic. That doesn’t mean that he didn’t draw the wrong conclusions about what it took to make effective military units. He had very limited experience in training conscripts.
The Filipino troops were not ever up to facing Japanese combat units on even terms, even in Bataan. They managed to hold their positions, usually, only because they much outnumbered the attacking Japanese and because the USAFFE “burned up” the reliable Philippine Scouts and US 31st Regiment as “fire brigades” for counterattacks.
On Cebu, Mindanao, etc. the Filipino troops regularly could not face even lesser numbers of Japanese, and were thoroughly beaten in numerous engagements. General Sharp decided to agree to the Corregidor surrender agreement mainly because he saw no prospect of continuing the war. He was about to lose his base area at Del Monte. He was mistaken as far as whether it was better to surrender than to persist, even in a hopeless defense, as most of his US personnel did not survive Japanese captivity, but he had a perfectly accurate view of the conventional military value of his troops.
Granted he was known for his optimism but how did he cut checks he couldn't cover when the leader of a nation promises him the necessary funding but doesn't deliver?
The Filipino troops were not ever up to facing Japanese combat units on even terms, even in Bataan. They managed to hold their positions, usually, only because they much outnumbered the attacking Japanese and because the USAFFE “burned up” the reliable Philippine Scouts and US 31st Regiment as “fire brigades” for counterattacks.
Can you cite one US soldier who served on Bataan that had anything but praise for the fighting qualities of the Filipino troops on Bataan?