It involved the withdrawal of all military forces in Luzon to the Bataan peninsula and the fortress of Corregidor, there to block the mouth of Manila Bay and await reinforcements from the United Stated. Manila as an open city meant that all military forces and supplies would be removed from it. The seat of the Commonwealth government was also transferred from Manila to Corregidor. With no military forces in Manila, the Japanese had no reason to bomb it further, and thus the open city declaration was meant to spare Manila from further attack. The Japanese, however, continued to bomb the city, causing numerous deaths and much damage.