Juan Labrador

Spanish member of the Order of Preachers; Rector of Colegio de San Juan de Letran.

May 26, 1942

Just as we had feared, a member of the Religious Section notified the Letran Fathers that their buildings would be occupied by the Army, although

May 27, 1942

Father Patricio arrived from Tarlac, where he went to bring clothes, medicine and food for the imprisoned Catholic priests, among them, Fr. Curran of the

May 28, 1942

We were worn out by the day’s work of transferring our things to the portion of the building allocated to us by our “tenants.” Everytime,

May 31, 1942

We continue in peaceful co-existence with our guests. They are so silent that we hardly notice their presence. At times, the commanding and bitter voice

June 2, 1942

The public elementary schools which had been closed since the start of the war were opened yesterday. In the whole of Manila, only twenty schools

June 3, 1942

The occupation army held a military parade at the Luneta to celebrate the end of military operations in the Philippines. Some 80 tanks, canons of

June 4, 1942

The newspaper reported that the island of Negros was occupied two weeks ago. On the twenty-first of the last month, Japanese forces landed at a

June 7, 1942

Our guests are becoming more and more irritating. Familiarity has degenerated into contempt, and they keep on commandeering the little that is still left with

June 8, 1942

Today is exactly six months since the start of the war. The press published a partial list of the Japanese gains. A dispatch from Domei

June 12, 1942

From our roof terrace, we can see the vessels anchored at the Pasig River loaded with packages. The masts and chimneys of the boats at

June 17, 1942

The rainy season has started. As our building is full of leaks, our “tenants” are getting wet. For the last few days, they have been

June 19, 1942

I attended a meeting of the directors of private colleges, called and presided over by Secretary Recto of the Department of Public Instruction. There were

June 23, 1942

We received the first news from Hongkong. This was the first communication we had from abroad in six months. The Dominican Superior of Rosaryhill sent

June 24, 1942

Major H. visited us. He related that within a few days after the Japanese entry, he was arrested and imprisoned in Fort Santiago. One day,

July 1, 1942

I had thought of touching on this theme several times, but for lack of data, I had to delay doing so. We knew a few

July 2, 1942

Both public revenue and public expenses have decreased. Salaries have also been decreased by 50% or 75%, and the number of government employees has also

July 3, 1942

Today I shall delve into the confused structure of the industrial sector. Most business establishments were either voluntarily closed or sealed, while those that are

July 4, 1942

Talking about commercial firms, at the start of the war all big American, British and Chinese establishments were sealed immediately by the military police and

July 5, 1942

During the past week, a good number of Filipino prisoners of war were released by the Japanese Army. According to reports, those released are the

July 8, 1942

We are tired of waiting for the permission to open classes, or to put it better, we are getting desperate following up our request. We

July 10, 1942

I talked to some released prisoners. They recounted the treatment they had received at the concentration camp. They were not maltreated nor molested, nor even

July 12, 1942

A former student came to see me. I did not recognize him at first. He had been in the dungeons of Fort Santiago. He was

July 15, 1942

The Bureau of Private Schools sent us notice that we had been authorized to re-open elementary classes. At the end of a month and a

July 16, 1942

Yesterday, the college was officially opened. Instead of the 900 students we used to have, we now have only 90, including the special high school

July 18, 1942

We had to suspend the special high school classes, after learning that other colleges which opened similar classes had been investigated and ordered to close.

July 21, 1942

Our times are abnormal and this is but only due to the state of war. Events are happening as they never did before, and even

July 22, 1942

The searching of residences and residents of Manila has begun. Taking advantage of the torrential downpours which prevented many city residents from leaving their houses,

July 23, 1942

We were visited a number of times by searchers who examined everything we had which was of value. Our typewriters were inspected, their brands listed,

July 24, 1942

A report came from the Army Headquarters that a number of persons hostile to the Imperial Forces had been arrested. They were accused of connivance

July 25, 1942

The search of houses is intensified. In Binondo, the dog-like police follow the trails of wanted persons or things useful to the enemy. The interrogations