The debate continues on whether to stay or leave the city. The universal urge is to leave; to find a safe haven somewhere away from the high cost of living, crime, house invasions and the constant moving. Check off some alternatives: Batangas? Count on lack of food and a probable battleground. Baguio? Already overcrowded: food costs 1-1/2 times higher than Manila; and if a battle doesn't develop there you can be sure the guerrillas will start one. Lingayen? Only the Japanese are allowed there, and the same applies to Bataan and the entire western coast. Legaspi? Many people say NO-NO-NO! Cagayan Valley? The cost of living is cheap, but the territory is the wildest and transportation costs the highest.

It will cost Placido Mapa P50,000 to hire a truck to move his family just to Baguio. Unbelievable, you say? When Rafael Ortigas was kicked out, he paid P500 for two laborers and their pushcart to move his piano 70 meters to the adjoining house of his parents. So what's left but Manila? Are we safe here? No, a thousand times NO. But what choice do we have?

A friend recently asked a Japanese officer if he really believed that the Americans would land here.

"Yes, we can't stop them from landing."

"So when do you expect them?"

"Any time within the next six months. By March at the latest, but we're expecting them anytime."

"What do you think of your chances here?"

"We expect we'll lose the Philippines but not without the wildest sort of fighting. For instance we have perfected plans for intensive guerilla warfare."

So now you tell me, are the mountains safe?