This morning, my grla. associates, Col. Ramirez, Capt. Calvo and Mr. Elizalde dropped quietly at my office on their return trip to Manila from Isabela. Elizalde asked me for a list of 14th Inf. officers in hiding because they are in the Japanese wanted list and I gave him the names of Maj. Romulo A. Manriquez ’36, Capt. P. Dumlao, Lt. H. Quines ’42 and Lt. V. dela Cruz. Col. Ramirez greeted his former JO, my Sr. Insp. Sergio Laurente, briefly and after my visitors left, Laurente asked me how I came to know them. I replied that I met them through Manila socialite Ms. Lulu Reyes in my OSP Manila socials. It was then that he opened to me about his pro-American sympathies, how he suffered at the hands of the Japanese after he was surprised with the Japanese landing in Ilocos Sur where he was PC Prov. Comdr. Dec. 10,1941, captured and became the first USAFFE officer to become a POW.
I did not tell my Sr. Inspector that my visitors are my grla. associates but instead recommended that in view of the briefing by Capt. Calvo last Feb 15 and to safeguard prime foodstuff raised locally by the natives for their own welfare, that we prohibit merchants from taking them out in commercial quantity of Vizcaya without permit from our office. Merchants from Manila have recently been purchasing rice by the truckloads due to shortage there. Laurente did not only approve my recommendation but even appointed me Chief, Economic Police for the province. I made a directive to all our detachment commanders accordingly and henceforth, movement of foodstuff in bulk from the province to anywhere outside must have written permits from our HQ.
Meanwhile, the scuttlebutts by Capt. Calvo was confirmed by short wave radio news I heard with Fr. Lambreth’s two night ago. In addition, we also heard about the Council Meeting in Casablanca by US Pres. Roosevelt, Churchill and De Gaulle. The latest one I got was about my OSP Boss Maj. Enrique L. Jurado USNA ’34 who managed to elude the Japanese from Batangas to Romblon and he finally settled in Odiongan before joining the Peralta Grlas. recently in Panay, the very place he wanted our Q-Boats to escape when Bataan was surrendering. Also Col R. Kangleon is building up his grlas. in Leyte and Capt. Pedro Merritt ’34 with my classmate Lt. Ed Soliman ’40 are organizing in Samar. Maj. Inginiero and my classmate Lt. H. Alano ’40 are also busy in Bohol.