I was the first to arrive at the Bank of the Philippine Islands this morning, just ahead of Vicente Fernandez. Told that withdrawals would be paid out in military currency, Vicente bawled someone out as a joke. "Keep quiet!" was the reply, "I'm supposed to represent the high command here." Well, we not only got fresh, consecutively numbered Philippine bills, but typewritten transcripts of Bataan's Voice of Freedom and KGEI's February 3rd broadcast!

The VoF said that after two weeks of intense fighting, Japanese attacks on both Bataan flanks are subsiding. Coming after reports that we successfully repulsed two landings in Bataan, it's safe to say the Japanese took a bit of a beating.

Anything that moved in Manila got thoroughly searched today as the Japanese started a campaign to find stolen goods and arms. An officer barking animal-like grunts swaggered into the store to inspect our bodegas. The rude, uncouth, racketeering, sonofabitch made a mess for nothing.

Maurice was reading about the consolidation of "Greater Manila" — how war made possible at a stroke what 14 years failed to achieve. "True," said his barber, "but the mayor of Greater Manila is getting only 40% of the salary the mayor of plain old Manila used to get."