Tribune: "Americans isolated, wiped out in Carigara sector" on November 5. "Enemy airfield blasted" at Tacloban on November 9 (at the height of the typhoon in Manila). Yet the following morning, 150 American land-based planes attacked Jolo, Cebu and Bacolod.

The typhoon did little damage to crops in Laguna. A hungry people can hardly wait for the January harvest. In the meantime, they must survive on whatever they've squirreled away because food can no longer pass from province to province or town to town. An equally hungry Japanese Army will confiscate it, even from trucks with passes granted by other Japanese units. No food is allowed to leave Batangas; Japanese troops rushing there need it. With food unable to reach Manila, rice passed P8,000 a sack, sugar reached P12,000, and a whole chicken P300. People are dipping into their deposits of genuine money to buy food. I had several offers for gold shares but no buyers. A circular issued to all provincial governors reminded them of the country's obligation to help feed Japanese troops.

With no transportation, the new harvest will probably rot in the countryside. The situation is so bad that the Japanese have been buying horses — that's why we were asked to register them. Previously we had to register trucks, dokars, carretelas, and even lowly pushcarts! Now this in today's Tribune: "Auto Operators Called to Meeting" — all owners and operators of vehicles, whether previously registered or not. I'm thinking about it; my 1940 Mercury is rotting in the garage but I wouldn't part with it at any price.

Late afternoon last Thursday, guerrillas in trucks wearing Japanese uniforms stormed Bilibid Prison and "liberated" some American prisoners. The shooting lasted five minutes, and the guerrillas used tommy guns, according to an ear-witness. Locals were warned of the raid in advance and told to beat it.

The Japanese captured an American pilot who bailed out over Marikina. Before they could drive off with him, guerrillas assaulted the truck, killing several Japanese guards. Practically a whole town was involved. The next day, the Japanese lined up all males in the town then three masked Filipinos fingered a few participants, sending them to their fate.

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