— Tribune —

Stayed home most of the day reading about Asian history. Watering our banana trees in the late afternoon, I counted about 50 army-gray Japanese Ford trucks at the Burgos school; all fully loaded. They haven’t budged since they arrived though the engines are run a few minutes a day.

The Tribune quoted Vargas and Aquino urging full collaboration on the argument that if we cooperated with the U.S. in return for a promise of independence, why not Japan for the same reason? (Or why not play both sides down the middle, eh?) I recall a friend asked Vargas recently for a pass to return to his hometown in the north. The reply: “I can't give you anything. I'm nobody here; just a muchacho!” A quiet and amiable Quezon henchman before the war, he's certainly well guarded whenever he goes around now - but from whom?

More Japanese reinforcements, probably diverted from the NEI, landed in Lingayen and Subic. MacArthur’s forces are sure turning out to be an embarrassment for the Japanese. The U.S. calls them Mac’s Unconquerables or Mac’s Miracle Men — and isn’t even sure of their number. I guess he started with around a 100,000 and still has 75,000!