On one occasion, some of the brothers were arrested by guerrillas as suspected Japanese spies. When they learned that Pedro Brillas was a former soldier, they beat him mercilessly. Four of the brothers were kept overnight and then taken deep into the jungle to be imprisoned. They were put in small cages similar to those used for transporting live pigs, and these were so cramped that the brothers could neither lie down nor stand up, but only sit. They continued to bear witness, even under these conditions, and, as a result, one of their guards, Lorenzo Hersan, accepted the truth and was later baptized. The brothers remained in captivity for almost two months before being released due to the intervention of a relative of the Brillas brothers.

The congregation as a whole was called “Jehovah-Shammah,” and each Witness was given a Biblical name, such as “Joel,” “Jonadab,” “David” and so forth, some of which stick to the brothers to this very day. This was done to prevent ready identification, since Brother Liwag especially was on the “wanted” lists of the guerrillas and Japanese soldiers. If strangers came near the camp, the word tiki was used to spread the warning to the others. Incidentally, that word means “house lizard” in Cebuano.