Tribune: "City Housing Procedure is clarified" — a reminder that city residents must cooperate and fulfill "obligations" to the Japanese. The Housing Committee is powerless, but if you're on friendly terms they'll at least make the appropriate noises and try to get you some rent. The Sotelos got an offer to rent their garage for P800; that's eight times prewar rent for the whole house!

Rumor had it that Laurel was in Tokyo, but he's here, sick in bed, perhaps to avoid the trip. His reputation has improved because he's adamantly refusing to declare war despite strong Japanese pressure and opposition from Aquino and Osias of all people. Prepared to die rather than declare war, he has already made his despedida [farewells] from his family. Laurel now acknowledges that his people do not want war; that they hate the Japanese and have an unshakable confidence in Uncle Sam. His advisors told him: OK, stand up to them with everything you've got. Keep us out of the war till the very last second. But if it's a matter of life and death, remember that your would-be successor, Aquino, is prepared to approve forced conscription, total evacuation, and to sell out wholesale to the Japanese.

Constabulary patrols in the provinces continue to rake-in riches, as do the so-called Texas Gang bandits. The PC stop every truck and demand P5 a head — per PC head, that is. Of course, if they smell you're carrying something hot you'll have to fork out at least P500. On a trip of say, 60 kilometers, you're likely to be stopped by three patrols of three men each — P60. For the rest of the trip you pray that you won't meet up with a gang of bandits. The latter are particularly interested in your clothes. More than one truck has arrived in Manila with the occupants wearing nothing but a banana leaf. They even stripped a corpse that was being transported. A truckload of alcohol guarded by two PC was held up and all had to strip. Before the bandits left, they fired eight shots into the tank and said: "Stay awhile till it drains off, then go."