Played golf in a.m. at Fort McKinley with Doria; afterwards, we swam in the bay in front of our house. Colin Hoskins to lunch and we talked over landlord & tenant situation, and land taxes; and planned trips to see the big haciendas.
Left at 3 p.m. with Babbitt & Anderson for Cabuyao. Babbitt said his sugar companies were going to make all they could in the next five years, hoping to repay the capital in that time, and thereafter what assets were left were in the nature of a dividend. Said sugar machinery was of no use for anything else. After independence, a differential even as good as that given Cuba would not save the Philippine mills because the cost of production and haulage are so much lower in Cuba. Andy Anderson (manager of the Manila Hotel) said that tourist traffic here could never be much because the Filipinos had suppressed everything which might really interest American visitors –such as the Igorrotes and their naked women– hence these Americans made a bee line for Bali where there were plenty of naked women; otherwise Bali was nothing but the Philippines all over again.
Anderson predicted more trouble in the future for the Philippines from internal disturbances, especially when they had their own army with ambitious generals. Said he was not particularly apprehensive about Japan. Trouble here was that there is only “one Quezon” –Roxas, he thinks, is the next coming man.
When we arrived in Cabuyao, Phil Buencamino and his wife greeted us. Quezon was there with Nieto –they had been inspecting his farm just the other side of the river where Quezon is going to build a nipa house and to go there every Friday. He complained of being very tired. We were just sitting down to the bridge table when I had a long distance call from Geo. Vargas to say that Doria had been thrown from a horse in Manila and was in St. Paul’s Hospital. I left at once. Poor Doria was suffering great pain. Fool polo pony of Angel Elizalde bolted with her and ran her into the stable where she was smashed off. Very brave and already feeling better. Narrow escape from death!!
Anderson said Quezon’s troubles will come from his own followers, because he will not give them all they want and they will “double-cross” him later. He also commented on the fact that many wealthy white men here kept Filipina women; that it was more expensive than a white woman because the whole family has to be kept!