Early today a Japanese convoy arrived at Manga Avenue and tried to open our left gate. Unable to budge it, they entered the Manotoc residence next door and one of the Klingler houses — just "to sleep" before resuming their journey at night. To travel in daylight is to risk being strafed by American planes that are active over the main roads and highways. We heard much strafing on the outer edges of Manila all morning.

Walked to the Escolta, which looked more formidable than ever. There's a new concrete pillbox on the entrance, and the Japanese are building two more though not of concrete. That makes seven pillboxes on the 120-meter stretch of this leading road. More and more, the indications point to the possibility of violent street-to-street fighting in the city.

Only several stores, tiendas and restaurants were half-open, fearful of attracting looters, and reluctant to sell anything for soon-to-be worthless military notes. People paid whatever the stores asked — and still felt grateful afterwards.

Today's Tribune mentioned the looting of F.C. de la Rama's bodegas yesterday morning, perhaps just before I passed by yesterday. It also mentioned the looting of the storehouse on Azcarraga and of the former premises of the Centro Escolar building, plus other cases in Pasay, Paco and Malate. It didn't mention how the Philippine Constabulary assigned to protect the NADISCO goods at the Aguinaldo building looted the goods therein themselves — each and everyone of them shamelessly carrying parcels of textiles home — and in broad daylight too. The Constabulary developed the itching palm quite early in the day, and barred all civilians from Juan Luna. One PC man ventured in after an explosion at 1400, and thereafter, the temptation was too great for the so-called guardians of the law. Textiles earmarked for the poor — drill, coco and khaki all valued at inestimable prices — went the way of all flesh, and pronto.

Manila is still the city of stuck cars, cars under tow, mechanics pouring over engines, and the pathetic sight of Japanese soldiers trying to exhort tired little ponies to climb hills and bridges. The Japanese are moving on stolen vehicles, living on stolen food, paralyzing food transportation and causing starvation in some quarters. Sometimes one feels an overpowering rage that these so-called samurai can descend so low, and in doing so, drag down everyone else around them. It brings to mind their taunts to MacArthur four years ago in Bataan, when they quoted General Bell saying some forty years earlier that it was the duty of an army to surrender when all hope was gone.

Tribune: "13 Foe warships, transports sunk or damaged west of Luzon" — all about their exploits and continuing resistance. "City Police get tough on looters." They had to because the looters are leaving only scraps for the police. "Distribution of textiles now begun" — and how!

"F.C. de la Rama named Home Guard Chief" — and if that's not a laugh then what is? Guinto appointed him "Deputy Inspector General of the Manila Home Guards" upon the recommendation of Inspector General Manuel de la Fuente.

At 1700, a regiment of Japanese MPs marched out of Manga Avenue while their transport group, a pathetic looking entourage on starved ponies, moved up to a position flanking both of our gates. At this very moment they are squatting and awaiting orders to march. There they go now, giving me a good chance to look at them. The horses, used as pack animals, are profusely camouflaged with branches. Artillery wagons stacked high with materiel are being pulled by three to five Japanese — on foot, of course. They are going down Buenos Aires, probably headed for Manila's northern exits. Meanwhile, our ingenious maid is converting the Japanese flag we were once forced to display on occasions into an apron with pockets of red and blue on white.