I arrived at Santo Tomas at 0900, just before two Japanese shells from Intramuros headed our way. The first overshot its mark, the second was on target; both were duds. A short barrage from the Americans silenced the shooter.

American troops are now mopping up inside the Walled City though progress is slow. Artillery and dive-bombers peppered the place heavily in the last two nights. The Walled City has been hit by such fantastic number of shells that little hope is held for the civilians trapped inside. On the other hand, quite a few civilians that everyone had given up for dead at Ermita have been emerging from the ruins.

I crossed the pontoon bridge into South Manila at 1000. For 5-1/2 hours, I went from Paco to Singalong and Pasay, returning via Malate to Paco again. I was able to trace seven of the fifteen names on my list: one very old lady died a "natural" death several days ago; two of three injured were in a bad state, and another two are probably dead.

Many of the little houses in Pandacan were intact; the Church even looked okay though it may have taken several hits. The fires I wondered about night after night turned out to be in Paco — it was utterly destroyed. Here and there a lonely house kept sad vigil over the area. Only Laurel's house was left standing in Peñafrancia. I'm told the Yulo house was one of the first to go by fire though the family got out easily.

At San Antonio Street I was able to check on one American and two orphaned children. At the Paco Market, a sniper's bullet hit the dirt fifty yards in front of me as I approached the bridge that the Japanese inexplicably failed to destroy. Five or six American soldiers slowly crawled toward the sniper's position. I waited ten minutes, got on my bike then continued on to Tennessee on a fruitless search for an aged American lady. At 712 Kansas Vicente Muñoz pointed out the house where René Rius died.

An American MP at Taft looked at my pass and urged me to avoid Malate: "Gee whiz, I wouldn't go in there, bud — it's awful dangerous." But I had to get to Pasay so I went up^† Taft. A guerilla waved me on to Pennsylvania — the street was so utterly leveled that I failed to recognize the site of the "ex-house" of Gabby. After Vito Cruz, I went into Taft again and up^† Taft Extension where several people with some of the finest houses in Manila escaped the ravages of the battle. Hardly anyone was around a devastated Malate and F.B. Harrison. Eventually I reached Del Pan, Pasay, where a little Swiss community barely escaped the shelling. All the residents except several were around with their houses to tell the tale.

^† heading south — author considers Taft to start at GPO and continue "up" to Malate. — Ed.

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