Tribune: "Wild Eagles Pound Foe Convoy; 6 Transports Sunk, 2 Damaged." An American convoy of 30 ships escorted by 20 cruisers and destroyers "has been seen passing the Mindanao Sea westward through Surigao Strait since December 27."

"Ba Maw Urges East Asians to adopt Kamikaze Spirit." He should lead by example.

"Governor [Guinto] Fixes Rental for Rigs" — the joke of the town. Rent for a carretela and horse is P600 a month — less than two-dozen eggs or two gantas of rice, and you can just about kiss your horse goodbye forever. The horse alone is worth P10,000, so the rent only covers depreciation. Ah, there's a catch: The owner of the carretela or horse gets a ration of 20 grams of salt a day! "For the driver, in case he goes with the carretela or horse, 500 grams of rice daily and a daily wage of P4." The rice is sufficient, but to supplement it, P4 a day gets you an egg a week or a mandarin every four days.

Off they go "To Blast Foe"

Last night, the Japanese shifted their airforce from Clark to the Manila area ... and I doubt the Americans know it. There was brisk activity today, and another 30 planes slipped in this evening to prepare for their night's work. The time is ripe for another American Task Force raid.

2035: A loud bomb just exploded on Nichols, giving this house a good shake. It must have caught the Japanese planes on the runway. Amazingly, it's been raining in spots despite a bright full moon. Returning from a walk, I heard bombs, strafing and distant rumbling. The American planes couldn't have been served at a better time, but the amount ordered was too stingy. I predict there'll be at least a repeat order or two tonight, and in better style. So the rain falls, the moon shines, and (there goes that rumble again) time marches on to its destiny ... pardon the jargon.