Bandoeng has fallen and the Tribune says the Dutch are "abandoning" Java. I detect some Japanese concern however about the military conference in Chungking, where the British and Chinese agreed to launch a counteroffensive in Burma. Japanese plans to "liberate" India could be foiled in Burma.

An article declares that the number of Filipinos deserting in Bataan "is increasing daily." Unlike, say, a report that food in Bataan is critical, the article is ineffective propaganda. Filipinos' confidence in MacArthur and the USAFFE is unshakeable. When Bataan falls, it will be due to lack of food or ammunition. In our hearts, the USAFFE is undefeated and will remain so.

As if Japanese propaganda hasn't backfired enough, a full-page article describes how 27 stranded students were given assistance to leave for the provinces, thanks to the P50,000 donation and P10,000 loan by the Japanese military authorities. Considering the times those amounts are shamefully small. The boast that government costs have been reduced is also an insult to our intelligence. In fact, "Asia for Asiatics" and "Filipinos are Orientals" are weak campaign slogans. Filipinos enjoy a better standard of living than most Orientals. We are one of the most Christianized and intellectually one of the fastest growing nations in the world thanks to the public and catholic school system. Even physically, our stature is above that of the average Oriental thanks to our diet and 40 years of American rule that saw tremendous improvements in public health. What the Japanese are trying to sell us amounts to a lower standard of living — a step backward.

Three things were required for the Japanese to gain the goodwill of Filipinos: a peaceful occupation with fairness and equality, truth, and generosity. They fouled the first ball due to their crude and undisciplined soldiers, and missed on the next two swings. Now they've struck out and that's all there is to it.

Filipinos are striking back when they can get away with it. A reliable source tells me that a sentry smacked a cigarette out of a Filipino walking by the Oxy-Acetylene Company in Aviles. He made two mistakes in the process: First, he picked on a husky bantamweight pug. Second, his two companions had just walked out of sight. The Filipino promptly knocked him out with a right to the mouth, sending the sentry to hospital with a badly busted lip and a few missing teeth. Our pugilist wisely moved house.