Radio Tokyo: "Tomorrow, church bells will ring in all 7,000 islands of the Philippine Archipelago" — quite a feat, considering at least 4,000 are uninhabited.

Tribune: "Four-day Holiday for Inauguration." In the middle of the program there will be a "one-minute silent meditation and prayer in honor of heroes and martyrs of Philippine freedom," and "one minute silent prayer for the war dead of Imperial Japanese Forces and final victory of Japan." Markets will be open till midnight, shows till 2300, streetcars will be free, and visits to prisons allowed this Sunday.

More trouble with numbers from the Commentator: He takes Tokyo's exaggerated claims of enemy vessels sunk, estimates crew numbers, and drowns them all to come up with a total of 142,000 Anglo-American casualties — swallowed up by the sea along with their 454 ill-fated warships (including barges and torpedo boats). The actual figure is less than 25,000, of course.

I got a good insight into the state of Philippine politics at a public restaurant. I sat silently in my booth, listening, as an important Filipino spoke his mind.

On Laurel: He once told Filipino leaders: "I'll take four bullets in my body before I declare war on the side of Japan." But in Tokyo, he told the Japanese the Filipinos would fight side by side with Japan for the defense of the Philippines. When Roxas was told, he refused to believe it and demanded confirmation — and got it! The popular word for Laurel now is cabrito.

On Roxas: He has improved in health since the Japanese gave up on him taking an important role in the new government. He gained 18 pounds, but his doctor is good and keeps his fever chart going. Roxas did apply for the presidency of the Philippine Red Cross — "a splendid choice as Madrigal isn't liked." One drunk Japanese officer said, "Roxas thinks he can sit on the fence and rule the country when the Americans get back. Does he think we Japanese are foolish enough to leave him here?"

On Vargas: "Vargas has sold out to the Japanese." At first he was an unwilling helper, but he turned and no one knows because no one believes it. He asked to be Ambassador to Japan, and is now the main spring behind conscription!

On others: Recto, Roxas, Alunan, Yulo are four of the highest against the current regime. Now only Laurel, Aquino, Duran [he's been keeping quiet lately] and Vargas are pro-Japanese.