For the first time since the Battle began, Santo Tomas had water "on tap" today. An announcement over the camp's loudspeaker said it was not to be used for drinking purposes yet.

MFP: "Americans seize Corregidor, Bataan; Free 7,000 at PGH.... Vast U.S. Carrier Fleet Hits Tokyo in three-day attack."

The Editorial titled "Tokyo is Next" quotes MacArthur: "We have captured Bataan and we have landed on Corregidor and seized its decisive points." (Still mopping up, eh?) Amazingly, 16 Americans, 3 Dutch and 2 British officers and men, "who had been maintaining themselves in the hills since 1942, were recovered on Bataan."

"Intramuros Offer:" Loudspeakers on the north banks of the Pasig offered the Japanese an honorable surrender; at least pleaded with them to allow "an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 civilians inside Intramuros to escape our artillery fire." Shelling was suspended for four hours but the Japanese didn't answer. I heard later that the Japanese released some 3,000 women, children and priests.

Two articles by Felipe Buencamino III and Teodoro Locsin described the now familiar pattern of atrocities committed by the Japanese, not without some understandable exaggeration. Some Japanese committed atrocities, but not en-masse or as a general policy. A US Army chaplain in Santo Tomas said it was "eighty percent exaggeration."

. . . .

At home on our porch last night, Ma asked me to play No Se Porque Te Quiero, and as I did, I realized she was thinking of Joe, just as Mrs. Heredia, sitting quietly outside, was thinking of Ray. Later, Angel Heredia joined me in the porch. As we stared at the moon and listened to the Americans blasting the Walled City, a cannon at the end of Manga Avenue let out five quick shots: Boo-boo-boom ... boo-boom. "Hear that?" Angel said quickly.

That's it ... exactly. We were in the shelter and we'd hear that and a few seconds later the shells came in and splinters flew all over us — exactly in that rhythm. We all knew those were American shells; some of our group even complained but I figured that the Americans had entered the City to do a job and that it was too late to turn back. If that's the only way to get the job done then so be it ... even if we perish in our shelters.

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