Virtually a record day for heaviest explosions yet, the usual fires, and test firing of artillery pieces that have been in storage for a few years. The bet here is that they couldn't hit Radio City from a mile away.

A strong thundershower at 1630 caught some American planes directly overhead with the people below thinking the thunder was distant artillery. Excitement picked up when someone from the northern outskirts of Manila phoned to report that he could "definitely hear" something happening in his area. Our feelings reached a new high with the 1800 news announcement that a force of 400 Americans and Filipino guerrillas rescued over 500 POWs veterans of Bataan, Corregidor and Singapore from the Cabanatuan camp. Maurice hit the ceiling and dashed out to tell the girls, but a cold cynicism gripped my heart and prevented it from skipping a beat. I told him these were just the abandoned, sickly bunch that the Japanese thought were not worth shipping out.

Tonight I "prepared" Ma a little, telling her that we should be ready for any kind of news, including news of Joe's rescue, or his being somewhere outside the country. I very much fear that he left on the Brazil Maru around January 5.

The usual rush is on to settle outstanding debts, fees, cedula and taxes in worthless Japanese currency before the Americans arrive. People are chasing creditors who are playing hide and seek. In some cases, people have taken to depositing their money with the Court of First Instance. One such ad had the attorney of a Mrs. Jose V. del Rosario informing a Mr. Ramon Ramos that his client has fulfilled her obligations by depositing some P2,900 to Ramos' credit with the Court. Legally and morally wrong, Osmeña should declare the payments invalid.

Late this afternoon, I saw several fully-laden Japanese trucks leaving toward the east — maybe for Montalban — the tenth time the Japanese have reversed their movements.

MacArthur said the Nasugbu landing was without any losses. That puts the Americans 32 miles south of the "Great Naval Base of Cavite" — which incidentally doesn't exist anymore. The local radio admitted American advances, and having let the cat out of the bag, tried to salvage something by saying that "the Japanese forces are now in an ideal position to carry on mobile warfare" ... no doubt on "borrowed" bikes, pushcarts and carretelas.