The Philippine-American

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Part of The Philippine-American

Title: The Philippine-American
Issue Date: Volume I (Issue No.4) December 1945
Year: 1945
Language: English
Rights
extracted text: A RAYMOND HOUSE PUBLICATION tUCK (Story) MKHE atomic rocket LSGjZ'OU'RE GOING TO THE STATES! _ I. FIRST LETTER ............................... Paul E. Rittenhouse II. SECOND LETTER ................................... Norman Waite MOUNyAP.AYAT MORNING (Poem) Francis William^rff^ THE FOMENT IN ASIA 19th CENp^r*WE!VLISM IS DEA^ilip Christian , I Al/ THINKINGlOF US TOD/^jStory) Ujfaya Victorio-Reyes I THS FILIPINO IS ^WF-MAN .....[. . . . . I ^CURTAIN ■AY: M( THE MEANING OF INDEPENDENCE / by Paul V. McNutt / Page 7 WAS /OXAS A COLLABORATOR? ” J[es : by J. Antonio Araneta X"‘‘No: by Federico Mangahas Page 42 Hr THE LjJP^G (Poem) •............................. Carlos A. Angeles fcoNt^TULATIONS. JAPAN!.................... Hernando G, Cosio, XlTH^EFERENCE TO CHRISTMAS (Story) Fidel de Castro P^aZcanAN AMERICANS ............................... Wilton Dillon HE! F^JMtR'S DAUGHTER ................................... Lyd Arguilla IwfcdDLAND SKETCHES IN AMERICAN (Poems) * / I L. E. Vanbenthuysaa wna For a_> F{eal MERRY CHRISTMAS Let's all go to EL CAIRO Manila's newest and most elegant NIGHT CLUB Where Manila's elite meet every night Featuring ARMANDO FEDERICO and His Famous TANGO-RHUMBA ORCHESTRA Vocalist—BIMBO DANAO • Pleasant Atmosphere • The coolest place in town • Bar & Restaurant opens at 10:30 a. m. SANTA MESA BOULEVARD, NEAR BROADWAY, NEW MANILA Make Your X’mas Celebration a Whole Year of Joy with Good Music, Stateside Drinks & Excellent Cuisine at the RIZALAVEbUE GRILL A First Class Bar & Restaurant Where you get the most for your moneys worth. 618 - 620 Rizal Avenue, Manila “A Service that Sells" • SIGNS • DESIGNS • POSTERS • DISPLAYS • BILLBOARDS • CINE SLIDES • INTERIOR ARTS • ILLUSTRATIONS • SCREEN PROCESS • PROCESS ENGRAVING • INDOOR ADVERTISEMENT GONZALEZ ADVERTISING CO. F. GONZALEZ P. Paterno near Quezon Blvd. General Manager (Back of Quiapo Church) Customers* Satisfaction Our Guarantee! ¥ • Adding Machines • Typewriters • Calculating Machines • Checkwriters • Duplicators, Etc. REBUILT OVERHAULED REPAIRED ‘To Speed the Nation’s Business’ Monthly Maintenance Service Our Specialty. N. FELIX Office Equipment Service 319 Legarda -Manila £ettete Christmas Gift If I may be allowed to express a wish for a Christmas gift in behalf of our unhappy people, I would like to say this: The one gift that the Filipinos will most deeply appreciate this first Christ mas after liberation is not one billion pesos for rehabilitation nor a greater quantity of relief goods nor 25 years of free trade with the United States. It is rather the fervent expectation that our government and our leaders who are running it will, for once, forget their political bickerings and get some real, honest work done for the good of all. We, the people, are sick and tired of the stupid bungling, the dearth of ini tiative, the lack of courage, the person al recriminations that we have seen the past several months in all phases of the national life. So many people are too busy trying to prove or disprove that they were patriots during the Japanese occupation to remember that the really big job for patriots needs to be done now. Let us get on our feet by giving each other a helping hand, instead <4 kicking and pummeling and biting each other like maniacs as we lie helpless and ex hausted on the ground where the occu pation and liberation left us ten months ago. Fermin S. Legaspi Dagupan, Pangasinan 50,000 Filipinoa in Japan On October 6, 1945, President Truman signed a bill which authorizes the Amer ican Secretary of War, with the ap proval of the Congress of the Philip pines, to enlist 50,000 Philippine Scouts for service in the occupation of Japan. The Japs, if they heard the news, prob-> (Please turn to Page 4) 2 CROMWELL COSMETIC EXPORT CO. 419 EAST 11th STREET, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA Manufacturers of GLOCO PRODUCTS GLO-CO HOLLYWOOD BRILLANT1NE GLO-CO HOLLYWOOD BRILLANT1NE GLO-CO HOLLYWOOD BRILLANTINE GLO-CO MISSION BELL BEAUTY SOAP GLO-CO HOLLYWOOD TAIX GLO-CO HOLLYWOOD PERFUMED TALC (1 BLOSSOM) GLO-CO BORATED BABY TALC GLO-CO HOLLYWOOD BEAUTY FACE CREAM GLO-CO HOLLYWOOD FACE POWDER GLO-CO HOLLYWOOD FACE ROUGE (DR GLO-CO HOLLYWOOD LIPSTICK GLO-CO HOLLYWOOD NAIL POLISH GLO-CO HOLLYWOOD NAIL POLISH REMOVER GLO-CO TONIX GLO-CO TONIX GLO-CO TONIX GLO-CO HOLLYWOOD PERFUMED LOTION GLO-CO HOLLYWOOD PERFUMED LOTION GLO-CO HOLLYWOOD COMPLEXION BASE GLO-CO HOLLYWOOD WAVE SET (LIQUID) (LIQUID) (SOLID) (ROSE, TONIX, ORANGE 1/2 oz. bottle 2. oz. bottle 1 oz. bottle 8 oz. bottle 16 oz. bottle 1/2 oz. bottle 2 oz. bottle Distributors of GLO-CO PRODUCTS CROMWELL COSMETIC EXPORT CO. Room 212 Villonco Bldg., Quezon Blvd., MANILA, PHILIPPINES Collegiate School of Fashion & Hair Culture Approved by the Government Director: CARMEN CONCHA L UALHATI Hair Science Dir. VICENTE AVELINO Course in 2 months Scientific & Practical Training in Classroom & Shop g-PINEDA’S-------302-304 Carriodo Cor. P. Gomoz, Quiapo, Manila Established in 1907, Pineda's Store in Intramuros was the famous shopping spot of tourists from America & Europe. And now, GIs, WACs & Nurses flock to our new location—Quiapo. Liaior Plieda dang ■ Hindbats Canucha, Flap. llAI Vi lonllies ^gg^^Anchor To The Earth! Members MANILA REALTY BOARD C. S. GONZALES & COMPANY Realtors • Insurance Agents Agents: NIAGARA FIRE INSURANCE CO. of NEW YORK R-312 VILLONCO BLDG.M 3 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN Builders & Contractors! Let us Solve your Lumber Problems * RIZAL LUMBER SUPPLY SAWMILL (Member, Phil. Forest Prod. Coop.) 100% Filipino Capital Prices Very Reasonable ¥ I. B. LIAMSON Mgr. & Prop. 950 Espana Sampaloc Cor. Craig Manila Letters (Continued from Page 2) ably did not like it. Imagine being gar risoned by the soldiers of a country that for three years had groaned be neath the boots of the samurai! To them we say, “Relax”. Let them not fear that our soldiers will exact from their people the retribution which, according to the ancient law of a tooth for a tooth, they have so abundantly earned. Let them believe rather that though they owe us so much in terms of life, they will not be made to pay in like or equal terms. The 50,000 Filipinos who will assist in garrisoning Japan will 6tand by these assurances. They will not kill Japanese children. They will respect Japanese women. They will not burn and loot the beautiful cities of Japan. Through the effacement of Japan’s military institutions shall we seek our revenge. By Japan’s assimilation of the principles and ways of democracy shall we realize our vengeance. And that shall be done in a peaceful way. The Filipinos will help teach “the leader nation of Greater East Asia” the simple lessons of human decency and justice. Jose C. Crisostomo 1138 Trabajo, Manila Bouquet to an Intellectual I hasten to congratulate Mr. Renato Constantino vigorously for his article entitled “Obligations of the Filipino In tellectual” which I have just read in the issue of the Phiuppine-American of November, 1945, Vol. I, No. 3, pages 37-39. The article is a challenge to the Fili pino intellectual. I am a lawyer by profession and I have been advocating the same “crusading and militant spirit” among the intellectuals with whom I come in contact, but their reaction has not been quite satisfactory. They prem ise the militant action on the attainment of "security and an established reputa tion in their profession.” Quirino Abad Santos San Fernando, Pampanga Food for Thought I have in my possession the first and second issues of the Philippine-American. With its contents and editorial ob jectives, it is easily the best magazine we have in the Philippines. The arti cles are well written. They furnish food for thought, and give a clear insight into the news. Filemon I. Villanueva Urdaneta, Pangasinan Proud Contributor I somehow feel proud to have been a contributor in your initial issue. Long before I received my complimentary copy, I had heard its excellent editorial being discussed with much interest among certain circles, and S. P. Lopez’ "Letter to GI Joe” is a must item for all GIs. I gave my complimentary copy to Steve de Vries who inspired my poem, and my second copy was grabbed just as quickly by another GI friend who came to spend his furlough with us. I have been unable to secure another copy in the magazine stalls, so that if you still have any left for sale, will you be 60 kind as to reserve me a copy and I shall call for it when I come for your next issue? Sofia Bona de Santos 128 A. Mabini Caloocan, Rizal _QUINOSIL - Best Camporated Oil. 10 & 20%; Strychnine Sulph. 112 nr-; Calcium Gluconate, 10%-10 c.c.; Adrenalin Amp. 1:1000—1 c.c.; Emetine Hydrochloride. 2. 3, & 4 etga.; Glucoae Sol, 5% & Hypertonic Sol. of varying %; N.S.S. • Copies of our first issue are note extremely rare, but we’ll try to secure one for Reader De Santoe.—Ed. For Laughter The Phiuppine-American is the best magazine I have read. It contains thought-provoking articles, excellent short stories and poems. I read every page of the November issue with great interest. But one thing I would like to (Please turn to Page 82) L. E. SANTO Painter and Contractor 434 P. Gomez, Sta. Cruz, Manila iSnral Jfrrss PRINTERS • PUBLISHERS BOOKBINDERS • ENGRAVERS STATIONERY MANUFACTURERS Alberto Crus GEN. MANAGER 313 R. Hidalgo Manila for Bldg. 311 Villonco [— For Your Office-------- -----------------------------------------STATIONERY • OFFICE SUPPLIES • PAPER ENGINEERING & DRAFTING EQUIPMENT Me QUALITEX "A Name That Pays” 611-B P. Noval PhtHppinr-Amerir an Issued monthly by RAYMOND HOUSE. Inc. Copyright, 19 J,5 BENJAMIN SALVOSA Publisher ERIC RAYMOND Editor CHRIS EDWARDS Managing Editor BALDOMERO T. OLIVERA CONRADO V. PEDROCHE Contributing Editors CONRADO S. FELIX Business Manager ROSENDO VICENTE Advertising Director ADRIANO GARCIA Circulation Manager Editorial and business offices in the Philippines: 1060-62 Rizal Avenue, Manila; in America, 1726 Marlton Avenue, Philadelphia, 4 Pa. U.S.A. En tered as second-class matter at the Manila Post Office on November 6. 1945. Subscription PIO a year. Advertising Tates on application. It re turn of unsolicited manuscripts is desired, a stamped, self-addressed envelope must be inA Chat with our Readers Greetings, gentle reader, and may Santa Claus spill on you and your loved ones his cornucopia bursting with the rich and bountiful felicities that have been accumulating these past four dreary Christmases since 1941! The spirit of joy ripe and luscious as a golden mango fruit, the sense of freedom rare and precious as water on the parching desert sands—all this is in a measure yours and ours, though we suffer still from the distemper of the times and though the children of our numerous poor still rummage through the garbage cans by night. Greetings to you from the PhilippindAmerican, conceived in the early days of our returning freedom, born upon the hour of our victory, nourished by the enthusiasm of men whose minds are once more eager, venturesome, and free. We are happy, too, this Christmas time, for as Christmas is the season of sharing, it pleases us to remember that the Phil ippine-American is the fruit of the generous thoughts, sentiments, and vi sions that we have shared one with an other. Is it being too sanguine to hope that in this spirit of sharing we shall see many more Christmases together? 1 HIS fourth number of the magazine comes out in a record issue of 10,000 copies. We say that you have helped nourish the magazine, and you may be interested to know how well it has responded to your nurturing. Well, here are some vital statistics: Pages Circulation First Issue ... ... 50 2,000 Second Issue .. ... 68 3,000 Third Issue ... . .. 72 6,000 This Issue ... ... 88 10,000 We have promised that we wduld in crease the number of pages as soon as printing costs come down. We have steadily increased the number of pages though the cost of printing has remained the same, and we have been able to do so only because the increased circulation has automatically reduced the production cost per copy. Thus, dear reader, you’ll get a bigger and better magazine each month because you want it so, because your (Please turn to Page 78) ----- COSMOPOLITAN ACADEMY OF MUSIC------WITH U. P. CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC PROFESSORS Classes in Voice Culture, Piano. Violin, etc. will start on January, 1940. COSMOPOLITAN COLLEGE The Only Downtown College of Distinction 6 Ik. Mexican l'ou need not tell al! the truth, unless to those who have a right to know it all. But let all you tell be truth.—HORACE MANN The Meaning of Philippine Independence by Paul V. McNutt United States High Commissioner as told to Lt. Leonard Wm. Hizerf USA ON November 15, 1935, a new nation came to birth — the Commonwealth of the Phil ippines. No, not yet a nation but a nation-in-the-making, still under the tutelage of the United States of America. Ten years ago, the United States, recognizing the Fili pino hunger for liberty, granted the Filipino people their own gov ernment and promised to even tually withdraw completely its sovereignty. We will join, on July 4, 1946, with the Filipinos in celebrating Independence Day, their Indepen dence and ours. One hundred and seventy years ago, Americans died to establish a new nation dedicated to liberty. During World War II, Filipinos and Americans fought together for li berty against the Japanese aggres sor. Let us pause for a second to remember the men who lie buried on Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, who died at Corregidor, Bataan, Leyte — Americans and Filipinos both! What are the heroic dead trying to tell us, the living? Their mes sage is clear. They fought and died for liberty—liberty for Amer icans, for Filipinos, for the entire world. Liberty was no pious rhet oric to these men. They had learned the lesson of liberty from their earliest years, the same les son out of the same school books. Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln and Woodrow Wilson are the common heroes of Americans and Filipinos. American school teachers came ashore with our first troops to land in the Philippines, forty seven years ago, to encourage the Filipinos in their love of country and admiration for their heroes. In the years before the war, the walls of the Philippine school rooms were decorated with the pic tures of the national heroes—Rizal, Mabini, Bonifacio, Quezon — men 7 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN who had fought for liberty. The Philippine national anthem was heard daily in schoolgrounds throughout the Philippines where the Sun and Stars waved proudly side by side with the Stars and Stripes. Nowhere else in the vast Orient did the public schools have as their avowed policy the creation of pa triots who owed their allegiance to the land of their birth! Pan-Asia was the slogan re peated endlessly by the Japanese empire-builders. Later the Ger manic song of “Blood and Soil" re ceived a Japanese translation. The Japanese did their best to sell the Filipinos the gold brick labeled “New Order in East Asia” — an order that was not new but as old as tyranny. The Japanese preached a color line—Asia for the Asiatics! But the link between the Asiatic Filipinos and the Americans was stronger than color or “blood”. The link was liberty, that amalgam of human values and individual rights that we sometimes abbre viate by calling democracy. On December 7,1941, Americans and Filipinos rediscovered the meaning of democracy. We were unwilling as peoples to become quislings for the Japanese. There were traitors, some in high places, bub the great mass of both peoples understood — as Benjamin Frank lin did almost two centuries ago— that free men cannot give up their liberty in order to obtain tempo rary safety. And what has all this got to do with today? Everything! The Philippines, a geographical part of the Orient, are a spiritual part of America. Today, the Philippines are America’s opportunity to demons trate democracy-in-action to all the peoples of the Orient. We Americans do not foresee an easy task ahead. The agrarian Filipino people—growers of rice, sugar, copra, hemp, tobacco—have suffered much under the Japanese. Their liberty, their lives, their health were all expendable under the bloody banner of the Rising Sun. Their agriculture, trade, and commerce were smashed, leaving a legacy of malnutrition, disease, unemployment, black marketeering, and collaborationism. But in the crisis of war and oc cupation, the Filipinos matured as a people and as a nation. To the Filipinos who resisted the invader, liberty is more than a word in a schoolboy’s history book. Liberty is not expendable. It is one of the stable goods of any de mocracy. All the elements for democratic progress and a democratic future are at hand. The Filipino people are sufficiently numerous—eight een millions of them — to consti tute a nation. They occupy an ade quate territory. Their agrarian ' economy can be based on a new hy dro-electric industrialization. They have chrome ore, copper ore and concentrates, iron ore, and man ganese ore. But they need American help to rehabilitate both people and eco nomy. We Americans cannot fail. Let us remember that the insti tutions of the Philippine Common wealth have grown from American roots. And let us salute the cour age and the will to liberty of the Filipino people. We look ahead to July 4, 1946, when the Filipino people will enter the world com munity of nations as a nation that has gloriously earned its democra tic name—the PHILIPPINE RE PUBLIC! the Living by Carlos A. Angeles Work out the peace they promised us Rem emb'ring that those silent dead May never rise beneath the dust To break the task for us instead. While eyes still smart from recent grief Who peered into the deep of night. And learned that pain was never brief, And knew the misery of fright— Let us from muddled ruins take Each brick and rubble that we find, Which welded each -to each might make That better world they had in mind. Nor ask from them material clues, Nor reap us symbols from their grave, For when we ask of signs and cues We ask what with their lives they gave. Theirs was the glory of that war, Ours is the burden of this peace. Gone is the blunder of this star— Let us forever know it is. Lt. Hizer is the Field Service Officer of the Information and Education Division of the United States Army in the Western Pacific. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago and has known Paul V. McNutt personally since 1930 and was a member of his staff while he was Governor of Indiana (1933-1937). Since then, except for 30 months with the WPA in an administrative position, he has been active in publio relations and promotional work. He has travelled all over the United States and since coming to the Philippines has visited most of the provinces: Leyte, Samar, Cebu, Mindanao, Panay, Negros and Luzon. He is an ardent believer in establishing real democracy here and advocated strong American assistance to that end. Three loud cheers for the loser who is winning in spite of himself Congratulations, Japan! by Hernando G. Cosio YOU lost the war, but won a great peace. You threw in the towel, but drew a rich consolation prize. You lost the verdict, and now beatific “punishment” is being meted out to you. You lost face, but found rebirth of soul. Lucky, lucky Japan. Your Axis partner, Germany, lost the war too. But she did not get your peace, your type of occupation, your prospects for the generations yet to be. For Pearl Harbor, for Bataan, for “The Death March,” and the rape of Manila, you are to suffer the Four Freedoms, you are to submit to a bene volent pax americana, you are to perish into a democracy, and dishonor your an cestors by bringing up tomorrow’s gen erations in the American way. Fortunate Japan! What a future lies in store for you. What benefits un deserved. What glory unwanted. History is even now chronicling this great paradox: of a military aggressor-nation vanquished in a con test of arms but assured of rising triumphant in the aftermath of peace. Japan’s defeat was military. It waB the failure of a power-mad minority. And surrendering as she did, before ac tual invasion, her land armies left com paratively intact, even this military capitulation was a minor victory in it self. It precluded the carrying out of a standing United Nations threat "to wipe from the face of the earth” this nation of savage barbarians. With V-J came peace and with peace came America’s reversion to type. Uncle Sam was a gentleman-sportsman once more, forgiving, generous and helpful. In the interest of a true and lasting world peace, he dropped personal feel ings of vindictiveness. With purpose and resolution he displayed a firm hand and took in the Problem Child of Asia. Whereas he could have liquidated the beastly miscreant without a word of protest from the rest of the world, he chose instead to assume the role of a forgiving parent to the family black sheep. When Japan took over the Asiatic “co-prosperity sphere," we (the Philip pines and other occupied territories) ex pected the worst. We got that, and more, thanks to the genius-for-evil of Japan. When America occupied Japan, the Nips prepared to meet devils with tails. Instead they got Santa Claus in GI garb. Dr . America is determined to cure an unwilling patient of his ideological diseases, by forced doses of unaccus tomed medicine. Warden America is sparing no effort to convert his convict into a model citizen-of-the-world. Japan will be set free—whether she wants to or not—from herself. Ameri ca comes to her shores with the gift of freedom, not just one but four! The precious Four Freedoms, no less. The funny part of it is that Japan doesn’t want them. She has little or no idea of what they are. If she does, she ridicules them as a matter of tradition. She never asked for them, but she’ll get 10 CONGRATULATIONS, JAPAN them—on a nice shiny platter, with all the trimmings. Elsewhere, Indians and Annamese and Indonesians are spilling blood for those freedoms. Elsewhere, Filipinos are contemplating the more than four centuries of struggle and sacrifice they have undergone to attain meager in stallments of those precious boons. Freedom of Speech The Rising Sun has set, but the dawn of a new day breaks over Japan. Direc tive upon directive comes over the pros trate nation like healing rays. The top field commander in the Pacific area, ap pointed as Supreme Allied Commander in charge of occupying Japan, flanked and assisted by experts in every field, draws a master-plan for the rehabilita tion of Japan. Commodore Perry has returned in the person of General MacArthur. Among the first things he attended to was the emancipation of the media of free speech. Government control over press, radio and theater was relaxed. The dread “thought police” was abo lished. The commoners may speak, may assemble and discuss their own government and leaders. The radical may even assail his divinity-denuded emperor. Women are given equal rights. Art and education are un shackled. Freedom from Fear Thought and speech and the written word are free because they need no longer fear. No secret agents to turn you in. No cruel military to discipline you. No industrial combines and mo nopolies to crush your free economic ef fort. The Diet may legislate for the masses, may break cabinets, may subrogate formerly divine powers reserved to and emanating from the emperor. Truth sets free because truth is free. You may complain. You may criti cize. You may raise your head in soli tary immunity or in powerful concert with others and fight oppression. You may sleep in peace and dream unfet tered dreams because Fear has been banished with the old regime. Freedom of Worship Shintoism is no longer the state reli gion in Japan. Whereas they used to make a show of religious tolerance in Japan by permitting the formation of small secular denominations among the people, letting some foreign missions to conduct schools, and even allowing one or two Catholic churches to be built in the big cities, still these are no match to the state-sponsored cult. In fact, the long preservation of the Divine Emperor myth, as well as the amazing fanaticism of kamikazes, banzai-chargers, etc., encountered by Allied soldiers all over the Pacific, may be at tributed to the influence of the state religion over individuals, families and schools. The church-and-state combina tion has ever been a mighty force for good or evil, as indicated in the history of the world since time immemorial. That combination having been broken in Japan, we may now see a healthy mo ral development of its people within a decade or so. Freedom from Want This may take longest to effectuate in Japan just as it will in most parts of the world. The fault will not be America's. She is already zealously en gaged in the physical and economic re habilitation of Japan with characteris tic generosity and sincerity. From arsenal of democracy to feedbag of the world, America is just as concerned about staving off hunger from starving Japanese millions as she is desirous of distributing her ample re sources to friends and foes alike every where. From the long-range point of view, however, America has seen fit to break up the few rich-family combines and zaibatmi that control the entire economy of Japan. This move, along with others, will in time restore the country to eco nomic self-sufficiency in which wealth 12 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN will be more evenly distributed, in which the total economic effort will more di rectly benefit the masses instead of serv ing the ends of war-mongers. Reparations? oh yes, japan will be required to pay—in goods or money if and when she can. You can bet on it, though, that long before the desert has slipped through the glass of time, a moratorium on her war-debts will be declared. Anyway, what’s money between friends? or former enemies? especially if the ex-foe turns out to be a model proselyte? Reparations? Bosh, old-fashioned! Versailles proved it. Vengeance is no longer sweet. An eye for an eye? Well, the poor fellow had a hard time of it too. Had to play guinea-pig to two of our atomic bombs. Lost his blasted navy, scads of planes, great industrial plants. Millions of lives, too, at the fronts, from starva tion and diseases. Guess he’s had his lesson, by now. Not a bad sort, really, after you’ve taught him things and removed his bad companions. Eh? Tojo? Oh, you can’t very well let the bastard die. Had to save him for trial. Besides, what’s the use of having plasma and penicillin and good doctors? Okay, Uncle, feed the dog that has bitten your hand. But you know how we little guys feel, those of us who came under the heels of that rabid mutt you now wish to pet. Three and a half years, Uncle. In three and a half cen turies we shall still abominate that dog and wear the cicatrices of his fangs and claws. Go ahead, protect the slink-eyed POWs from the futile pebbles of our children. Tell your MP’s to shoot down the little brown bastards who think they can avenge their dead fathers and bro thers and dishonored sisters by throw ing stones at fat, grinning Nip POWs. Sure, ship back to Nippon the kern.peitais and marines and soldiers who raped and massacred our people and pil laged our homeland. Just leave us a few of the higher-ups to wreak ven geance on. The rest are homesick (more so than your own GIs) and deserve a second chance to become free citizens and exponents of the democratic way of living. Too bad they didn’t give our dead a second chance. Someday we’ll probably sit together, the Philippine Republic and a democra tized Japan, in the session halls of the world. Take your seat on the side of Uncle Sam, Mr. Suzuki, away from ours. We, the living, might remember to take that second chance. *• Meanwhile, it breaks our heart but we’ll say it—Congratulations, Japan! Congratulations to the loser who is win ning in spite of himself. ' ' —-Solve your GIFT problem, with a BOOK!POPULAR BOOK STORE 298 Doroteo Jose, Opera House Side (Formerly at 116 Rosario, Binondo) ----- Tailor-----------------------------------------------------------------------1 A X A M A N A| 1049 Rizal Avenue*™ With Reference to Christmas —A Story by Fidel de Castro ON A CHRISTMAS day in 1921 a little boy named Bienvenido whose hair was shaved off because he had itches on the head sat solemnly in church. While he watched the priest in gay ceremonial robes perform service before the Nativity scene on the beau tifully decorated altar with all the won derful songs and orchestral music from the choir loft, the boy’s itches kept run ning with pus and with his mother’s lin en handkerchief he mopped the sores now and then to keep away the flies. Twenty years later Bienvenido still remembered the itches that appeared on his head, but they were not the cause of his persistently remembering that Christmas day in 1921. After mass the little boy went out into the sunshine in the church patio and there he met his school teacher. Mr. Cordero, who was one of the people on earth who knew the importance of liv ing, took him by the hand and led him to the shade of a big acacia tree. "Now, let’s see," Mr. Cordero said with a smile. "Let’s see how well you remember that speech I taught you." "Patrick Henry's?" asked the little boy. "Yes,” said Mr. Cordero. “That one about give me liberty or give me death." Little Bienvenido showed his teacher that he still knew the piece by heart. Mr. Cordero jabbed his hand in his pocket and showed him a gleaming fifty centavo coin. He put the coin in Bienvenldo’s little palm and then closed the shy fingers into a fist. "Merry Christmas!” Mr. Cordero said and then he went away leaving a rain bow around the little boy’s heart. That was the important thing which made that Christmas day memorable in Bienvenido’s life. THE following year, 1922, the little boy was in the seventh grade, and his teacher, Miss Montenegro, asked the class one day before the Christmas va cation to write a theme on the subject: “The Meaning of Christmas.” Bienvenido wrote about his omly me morable Christmas day. He wrote about the church mass, the itches on his head, Mr. Cordero, and Patrick Henry. He began his theme with the follow ing sentence: “The meaning of Christ mas to me is the bright colors and the songs inside and also outside of the church and what made them possible, and Mr. Cordero making me recite Pat rick Henry’s speech about give me liber ty or give me death and Mr. Cordero’s giving me human kindness and goodwill on earth in the form of a new fifty-cen tavo coin that had an eagle on one side and a man on the other, and Mr. Corde ro’s message to the world which he spoke thru me, ‘Merry Christmas’.” Miss Montenegro was not very much impressed by Bienvenido’s theme. It did not make sense to her. She rated it 70 per cent. She asked Pacita, a plump girl whom she considered the brightest pupil, to read her theme before the class. Pacita’s composition was about Santa Claus 13 14 THE PH1LIPPINE-AMERICAN and songs and laughter, gifts and can dies and Christmas carols, buntings and silver stars and Christmas trees. The keynote of Pacita’s winning theme was superficial gaiety, one of the many things which man takes for granted in times of peace and plenty. IN 1942 Bienvenido had grown up into a man, and more than ever in his life he thirsted for learning concern ing a great deal of things that kept stim ulating his mind and heart. A week before Christmas day that year he left the city and rode in a truck for his home town to spend Christmas day with his folks like he always did before. There were many Japanese sentries on the way and all trucks were stopped be fore reaching a sentry-post. The pas sengers were ordered to leave the truck and in single file were searched for weapons before bowing to the sentry. On the way, because it was often risky talking to strangers, Bienvenido talked to himself silently. The subject of his mental conversation was: "The Mean ing of Christmas.” On reaching his home town he felt like a stranger in a place where he first saw the light of day. He discovered that the town and the peoplte had changed pitifully. The town, observed Bienvenido, was like a gay young man whose face had suddenly grown old, and although the spirit was unbent the fig ure was, and the face was uglied by fear, defeat and a lurking hatred. He also observed that this man to whom he had compared his town had suddenly and shockingly forgotten there was such a thing as Christmas in the world. It seemed as if there was never a Christ mas day since the earth began. He wanted to hear mass that Christ mas morning but the church was smelly with manure and filthy with war hor ses. The church where he was baptized long ago, the house of worship wherein he celebrated all the Christmases in his life was turned into a stable by the in vaders; In the evening designated by the Christian calendar as Christmas Eve Bienvenido heard the story of the death of his sixth grade school teacher. It was told to him in whispers, and the doors and windows of the house were bolted tight, and it was not because the family was afraid of the cold stinging air of the dark December night. Mr. Cordero, they said, was a fool. He died because he refused to bow to a Jap anese sentry. The soldier stabbed him in the heart with a bayonet and his blood spilled like water and formed a puddle in the middle of the street. That night, for the first time in Bien venido’s life, remembering the little boy with the itches on his head delivering Patrick Henry’s speech about liberty and death, and the shining fifty-centavo coin and the Christmas message in 1921, he began to wonder and then slowly un derstand the real meaning of Christmas. There are things in life, Bienvenido said to himself, that require a lifetime to understand, and that., sometimes, is not even enough. On a clean page in his mental scrapbook he entered this item: “The meaning of Christmas can not be isolated. It is related to a great number of things." If Bienvenido wrote a theme now on the subject, would it make sense tb Miss Montenegro? P ACITA, the best theme writer of the class find the brightest seventh grade pupil, according to Miss Montene gro, became a'beautiful bride in 1939 and on the night of the day the Christ ian calendar said it was Christmas in the year 1943, in a frame house in Sin galong, Pacita with her three children ate a Christmas dinner of roasted coco nuts. One rainy night three months before this Christmas Eve, Pacita’s husband, who thought and behaved and felt like a patriot, was whisked away in a green Buick sedan by four Japanese men in civilian clothes, who spoke good English WITH REFERENCE TO CHRISTMAS 15 and had, each of them, a revolver in the hand and another in a holster on the hip. That evening, while they feasted on roasted coconuts Pacita told her chil dren, “Tonight is Christmas Eve. To morrow will be Christmas.” Lilia, her youngest child who was born the day her father fell wounded on Mt. Samat, asked, “What is Christmas, Mother?” Pacita had long forgotten about the fine theme she read before the class in 1922, so she answered her child simply, “Christmas is the birthday of Christ” Later in the night, after having tucked the baby in bed, Pacita sang, very softly, quietly, almost in a whisper: Silent night, Holy night, All is calm, all is bright. ‘Round the Virgin Mother and Child, Holy Infant so tender and bright: Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly... Somewhere in the dark the rattle of a machinegun ripped the stillness of the night and Pacita’s heart shrank in fear. She looked at the child; Lilia was fast asleep. In the morning people in Sin galong talked behind shielding hands about a man found asprawl across the railroad tracks, his body riddled with bullets. In class that day in 1922, Miss Mon tenegro, holding Pacita’s paper proudly, said, “This, children, is the best theme written in class.” And then she read: “The Meaning of Christmas.” Pause. For effect. Then: “Christmas is a day of celebration and joy. The whole Christian world has always celebrated Christmas, and it will always celebrate Christmas until the end of the world. People should be happy on Christmas day because on that day Christ was born to save man from his worldly sins.” That was the first paragraph of Paelta’s theme. The last paragraph of the life of Pa cita’s husband ended that Christmas day in 1943 when the noose in Fort San tiago jerked tight around his neck. T 0 Emmanuels, the girl Bienvenido loves and intends to marry, he has nothing to give for Christmas this year. Loafing around one day on Rizal Avenue he saw in a souvenir store a handbag made of felt, tastefully fa shioned. If I send this gift to Emmanuela, he asked himself, will it make her understand the meaning of Christmas? And then he remembered about a sim ple altar in a little church in the slums of Tondo, where he found long ago be fore the war a beautiful miniature set of the Nativity scene, gleaming inside a clear bottle complete with the figures of the Virgin Mother and the Child and the animals in the manger and the three Wise Men with their gifts. And Bienve nido remembered how he had wondered at the clever way the whole thing had been placed inside the bottle. He spent a whole day looking for that little church in Tondo but it does not stand there anymore. War had erased one more of man’s houses of worship from the face of the world. On December 25, 1945, Bienvenido has decided to give Emmanuela a postcard size picture of the Christ with the fol lowing message scribbled on the back of the card: “For us to have Christmas again the world had paid a dear price. For the simple lesson that Christmas, like the soul of man, cannot be isolated, mankind had to make so big a sacrifice. On this day let us all pray that this ter rible thing shall never happen again. Let us implore divine guidance from God that He may always make us know in our hearts that the meaning of Christ mas is related to a great number of things. And some of these are: freedom, peace on earth and good will to men.” Would that message make any sense to the Mies Montenegros of the world? The Old Familiar Faces—and a few new ones— are on the job to assist the Commonwealth Malacanan Americans by Wilton Dillon MALACASAN’S American "popula tion” has been thinning fast ever since a fifipinization campaign was launched during Governor General Francis Burton Harrison’s administra tion to place more Filipinos in the gov ernment service. Americans are not all gone, however, for there’s still a fascinat ing assortment of “Belo Boys” at work within those ornate executive walls while the Commonwealth government prepares itself for independence next year. It may seem ironical that the man who sponsored the bill which brought the sharpest and most immediate de cline in the number of Malacanan Americans is the same person who now is surrounded by Americans as president of the Philippine Commonwealth. Back in 1916, as Speaker of the House, Sergio Osmeiia succeeded in securing the pas sage of the “Osmena Retirement Act." It provides gratuities upon retirement for officers and employees of the Phil ippine government who have rendered satisfactory service during six con tinuous years or more. Americans left in numbers and Filipinos took their places — with but a few Americans remaining as advisers. Emperors, sultans, and presidents have used advisers throughout history and Osmena is only following a prece dent set by such notables as Pontius Pilate, Catherine the Great, and Frank lin D. Roosevelt. And when he em ploys a few Americans, he ib doing a little scale-balancing since there are thousands of Filipinos holding civil service jobs in the U. 9. Dr. Luther B. Bewley may rightly be called the “dean” of Americans in Ma lacanan because this 69-year-old adviser on educational policies has been in the Philippines since shortly after the turn of the century when he arrived via Europe on April 21, 1902. He was part of a migration of American school teachers to the Islands — a migration beginning with the history-making voyage of the U.S.S. Thomae which bore one thousand classroom marms and mas ters to help set up a public education system in the Philippines as a prerequi site to self-government. Andrew Johnson and Luther Bewley both are from the hill town of Green ville, Tennessee, but the Philippine edu cator isn’t so easily comparable with Lincoln’s nearly impeached successor as he is with his contemporary fellow Ten nesseean, Cordell Hull. Alike silverhaired, they have long been in*.public service, and there’s something strikingly similar in their measured speech. In Bewley’s Malacanan office, you almost believe you’re sitting in on a pre-war Fox-Movietone newsreel and watching the State Department patriarch give you a chat on reciprocal trade agreements, until you discover a more cheerfullooking man in front of you and it’s Dr. Bewley reminiscing about his first year as superintendent of schools in Cebu or as classroom teacher in Camarines pro vince. What’s more, Cordell Hull and Bewley are personal friends, the latter having visited him in Washington dur ing several of the twelve trips he has made to the States. 16 MALACANAN AMERICANS 17 During his long career, Dr. Bewley— the doctor is from an honorary de gree conferred on him by his Maryville college alma mater—has served as direc tor of the Bureau of Education, ex officio member of the University of the Phil ippines Board of Regents, member of the executive committee of the Red Cross, and has been active in children’s welfare work. “The Japs interrupted my work when they gave me an invitation to move out to Santo Tomas,” Dr. Bewley said smil ingly in accounting for his recent years, “but I managed to keep busy as dean of a ‘college’ of 760 American children within the compound.” Another Santo Tomas pastime was the writing of a history of the whole span of American administrators he has known during his stay here — from ' Governor General Taft to High Commis sioner Sayie. He wrote frankly of them, but with particular kindness to Henry Stimson whom he considers one of the ablest. The manuscript was burned during the Normal School fire. Sharing the same office on the second floor of crowded Malacanan is Allen Thorndike Sylvester, 59, the pipe smoking adviser on public works who is next on the seniority list, having come here in 1910 as a young civil en gineer not too long out of Tufts College, Bedford, Mass. Manila’s luster as the “Pearl of the Orient” had been made considerably brighter before the war as a result of this New Englander’s work as construc tion engineer of such projects as the Bureau of Posts, the Legislative Build ing, and the Customs House. The na tion as a whole benefited from the added trade made possible by improved port facilities in Manila Bay which he en gineered. Sylvester had previously left his mark in Iloilo and Occidental Negros before coming to Manila and the construction jobs in 1920 and subsequently to his eight-year job as port works engineer. Once, while supervising port construc tions in the Aparri area, he almost died of a ruptured appendix, but he returned to his job within one month to the day of the attack. A. D. Williams, the veteran director of public works before ill health and war premonitions induced him to return to his Virginia farm, was succeeded by Sylvester as director and additionally as executive of the Civilian Emergency Administration. "We didn’t talk about war coming in the days before December 8, 1941, but it didn’t prevent our becoming realistic enough to make plans for the evacua tion of non-combatant civilians — just in case,” Sylvester said. "Just in case” turned out to be the real thing when Sylvester was finishing breakfast at the Mansion House in Ba guio where he had gone to discuss with the late President Quezon further plans for the CEA. “I went to the front lawn while Mr. Quezon’s nurse had her usual trouble handling her energetic patient, and that was when I saw the square-winged planes overhead and a little later the reddish-brown smoke of exploding bombs rising in the distance,” Sylvester re called. He rushed to the house to tell the President, but Quezon already had been notified by telephone that Camp John Hay had been bombed and that the war was on. "When I finally returned to Malacafian, I found nobody there, and there were foxholes on the grounds,” he said. “My wife and I moved into the Manila Hotel and that’s where we were taken for the Santo Tomas trip.” Sylvester — a lobster-lover and high school chum of Republican Leader Joseph Martin in North Attleboro, Mass, served two years as desk sergeant of the Santo Tomas police force during the internment and just before the 1st Cavalry came, was unclogging toilet drains as sanitation engineer. 18 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN After the liberation, President Osme na called him in as an adviser — and now he is able to recall busier times when he was a member of the board of direc tors of the National Power Corporation and Metropolitan Water District, besides serving on the Manila Hotel board of which General MacArthur was vice-pre sident and treasurer. A LIST of Malacanan veterans would not be complete without A. V. H. Hartendorp, the pre-war publisher of the Philip pine Magazine, oldest American publica tion in the Far East, and a distinguished leader in Manila’s intellectual and cultu ral life. While not currently on the payroll as an adviser, Hartendorp’s influence con tinues to be felt in Malacanan circles. He was the first adviser to be called from a non-government position by the late President Quezon to organize an information service and keep the Chief Executive informed on American affairs. Hartendorp, a Colorado native of Dutch extraction whose initials stand for Abram van Heyningen, came as a teacher to the Islands in 1917. He was bent on continuing his studies — along with teaching — as a psychologist by giving I. Q. tests to Negritos, but he got no farther than conducting over 400 tests in the Cuyo islands before starting work as manager of the publica tions department of the Philippine Education Company. He then bought the Philippine Educa tion Magazine, a teachers’ publication, and converted it to a journal of general interest which stopped publication for the first time since 1904 when the Jap anese took Manila. Still with cane, tropical helmet, and white suit and presenting a picture of what Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer would want an American to look like in the Philippines, Hartendorp enjoyed his life in Manila best when he was enter taining writers and artists at tea in his downtown penthouse before J. T. (Jap anese Time). Tea at Hartendorp’s became a regular institution at four o’clock; he even wrote a column about conversations there for his magazine. During this period Hartendorp also was busy organizing and serving as secretary to both the Manila Symphony and Ballet societies. Hartendorp’s last year as editor be fore the war is well remembered by Manilans who followed his magazine campaign against certain elements in the University of Santo Tomas and the Ateneo de Manila who, he claimed were promoting a clerico-fascist type of government in the Philippines similar to that in Spain and Portugal. When Americans were being rounded up for the Santo Tomas internment, the Japanese Army, like all military organizations, hit a snafu in Harten dorp’s case. The editor was ill and inthe Santo Tomas hospital all the time that an extensive manhunt was being conducted to find him. It was strange, too, that he should return to the same campus as a prisoner where he once had taught as a psychology professor. His writing didn’t stop. Although it would have meant death had the Jap guards learned he was writing a book, he took the risk and hid pages of the manuscript inside a wall in the comp.ound. That was the beginning of a book he is completing now at his desk in the Sym phony Society building on Hidalgo street. To be called “Immortal Children,’* from a line of Walt Whitman, the book is a voluminous, well-documented ac count of life at Santo Tomas and of war’s repercussions in Manila. War Crimes Commission investigators have drawn from the unpublished material to aid them in prosecuting the Japanese. Hartendorp, who married a Filipino woman and is the father of three guer rilla sons and two daughters, plans to leave soon for his first trip to the U. S. in twenty-eight years. With him will go the manuscript which he’ll deliver to Macmillan publishers in New York. In MALACANAN AMERICANS 19 Washington, he plans to confer with Secretaries James Byrnes and Harold Ickes, presumably on Philippine issues and affairs. Louis P. CROFT, the auburn-hair ed, 44-year-old adviser on city planning who resembles Spencer Tracy, comes from the more recent era of presiden tial helpmates. Brought here two years before the war by Quezon to establish national parks, Croft voyaged up and down the Islands and prepared preliminary re ports on twenty scenic sites. “I was anxious to help locate parks throughout the Islands and forget the U. S. example where most of the parks are in one place and the people in another," Croft declares. The big Tondo fire in Manila divert ed his attention to city planning, how ever, and Croft set out to recognize these Manila axioms among others: 1) People walk more than they ride, so sidewalks are more essential than pla zas and fountains. 2) Until the calesa and carretela succumb to the Machine Age, there should be more streets like Quezon Avenue with its side lanes which later can be converted into service roads for business houses. 3) Typhoon-resist ant shade trees like the balete or tama rind are necessary to protect pedes trians from the heat. During the internment in Santo To mas, Croft talked with the interned in dustrialists, gave lectures in planning, and continued sketching designs for a new Manila. Mrs. Croft, former prin cipal of the American school in Manila, served in the same capacity at the compound school and daughter Claire, now a student at Swathmore, attended classes there. A Harvard landscape architecture student who doesn’t speak with a “Hawvud" accent because he grew up in Utah and studied engineering there, Croft has his own set of advisers: A. C. Kayanan of the City Planning Board; Capt. Kim Norton, formerly of the New York Regional Planning Commission; Lt. (jg) Clifton Rogers, Pittsburg city planner; and Ensign Nicholas Demerath, former Harvard sociology pro fessor and National Housing Authority adviser in Washington. Croft is a humanist and inclined to favor the Oriental conception of civiliza tion which teaches man how to live without undue emphasis on fancy ho tels, theatres, and luxurious apartment houses. That concept of civilization, he says, is what some people consider the ultimate in progress for all the ages of man represented in the Philippines —running a gamut from the Stone and Iron Ages to Manila in its pre-war splendor. For .the Philippines of the not-too-distant future, Osmena’s planning man is eager to get back into national plan ning after Manila and other destroyed cities are put in the right track. He wants the Islands to become "one of the thousand valleys” of which David Lilienthal, administrator of the far-famed Tennessee Valley Authority, writes in his recent book, TVA—Democracy On the March: “In a thousand valleys in America and the world over there are fields that need to be made strong and productive, land steep and rugged, land flat as a man’s hand; on the slopes, forests — and in the hills, minerals — that can be made to yield a better liv ing for people.” "With a Philippine version of TVA, rice production could be changed from a one-crop basis to two crops a year through modern irrigation and soil con servation,” Croft predicts. “The hydro electric power harnessed from such rivers as the Marikina or Cagayan could bring on as much an increase in living standards here as in Tennessee or Ala bama.” P ERHAPS the closest of all the ad visers to Osmena—from sheer physical proximity at least—is 30-year-old Dr. THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN James K. Eyre, Jr., an expert on Philippine-American relations who is play ing a combination Boswell-Sherwood An derson role to the President while writ ing his biography in spare hours. Like Harry Hopkins in the White Houise, young Eyre occupies an office in Ma lacanan palace proper with a view of the Pasig’s floating hyacinths. There, at his kidney-shaped desk, he’s surround ed by part of his library, one of the largest private collections on the Phil ippines in existence. Dr. Eyre—his friends call him “Jim mie”—first joined President Osmena’s staff in August, 1944, in Washington, but their association dates back to 1942 when the latter came to the States from Corregidor and they became good friends. At that time, Eyre was in Washing ton as an assistant to the late Dr. J. R. Hayden, MacArthur’s civil affairs adviser, the vice-governor under Frank Murphy and one of the foremost Amer ican interpreters of the Philippines. He had first known Hayden as a professor at the University of Michigan where Eyre received his Ph.D. at the age of 24 after writing his doctorate on: “At titudes of Various Major Powers To ward American Acquisition of the Phil ippines.” His master’s thesis had been on “Japanese Economic Penetration in the Philippines.” Good-looking EyTe, a native of Wil mington, Del., is often kidded about the year he spent as professor of political science at Sweetbriar college, Virginia, one of America’s best-known girls’ schools, but he isn’t ashamed to admit that “it was a very enjoyable year.” While teaching and later working in Washington as a specialist on the Far East with the Library of Congress and the Board of Economic Warfare, Eyre wrote numerous articles for the Ameriaan Political Science Review, Pacific Review, Proceedings of the U. S. Na>val Institute, and others. His most re cent contribution to the Navy publica tion is “The Sea Campaign from Aus tralia to the Philippine Islands.” His present writing project, “Sergio Osmena, President of the Philippines: Builder of a Nation,” is his most am bitious. Now almost half-completed, the manuscript may be ready for publica tion by a university press next fall. Another writer on Osmena’s staff is David Bernstein, former public rela tions man for Quezon and later drafted into the American army in Hawaii be fore a request from the current presi dent brought him a discharge and re assignment to Malacanan. The son of a former American minister to Tirane, Albania, Bernstein flew to Washington with the President to help with the re habilitation funds campaign. Leonard m. Gardner is an ad venturesome Tennessee extrovert, a selfpronounred “liberal New Deal Demo crat” and insurance expert who came here with Louis H. Pink in June of this year to shoot some life-blood in the Islands’ war-ailing insurance system. With Pink’s recent return to the U. S., Gardner remained as Osmena’s adviser on insurance with offices in the Finance Building on Taft Avenue. He has met with the entire insurance industry, found the Philippine Insur ance Law did not contain a statute si milar to New York and California laws authorizing the Insurance Commissioner to rehabilitate the companies. A veteran at pushing similar legis lation in New York while serving as counsel on the New York State Insur ance Department under Governor Her bert Lehman, Gardner helped in pre paring such a statute and through Os mena, presented it to the Philippine Congress for approval. There were hearings and delays, but the bill was finally passed and signed by the pre sident—and Gardner got a little home sick for New York. “It reminded me of the New York State legislature where I worked for MALACAfJAN AMERICANS 21 six terms; the Philippine lawmakers, like our own, passed nine-tenths of all legislation the last night of the ses sion,” he reminisced. Gardner chuckles, too, when he re veals that the alleged collaborators would still be in jail had the insurance companies not re-opened. There was a little problem of bail which the reju venation solved somewhat unwittingly. If there ever was anything slow about this Southerner when he left Tennes see to attend Georgetown University in Washington, D. C., you would never know it now. He literally runs into his office, talking en route and warm ing up his factual efficiency with a keen sense of humor on things political A record of his world travels further proves the point that he covers a lot of territory. A few months after earn ing his law degree, in 1918, he dashed off to the American embassy in Rome as disbursing officer and that sent him all over Europe. In 1925, he returned to practice law in New York, but he didn’t stay put for longer than two years when he went to India as an ordinary seaman on a tramp freighter. The freighter hit a rock and sank off the coast, and he paddied in a lifeboat for six hours before he was rescued and taken to Bombay. Once again in New York, Gardner stayed for ten years this time, leaving in 1937 to go to Albany for the counsel job which he kept until Republican Tom Dewey shed the statehouse of Democrats in February 1943. He was practising law in Portland, Oregon, when he de cided to come to Manila. Before returning to the States in Feb ruary after completion of his Philip pine job, he will tour Shanghai, Tokyo, and Moscow. And on the prospective boat and air trips, he will likely spend a great deal of time reflecting on his current hobby: observing the results of forty-seven years of American adminis tration in the. Philippines. J UST outside the realm of advisers, but serving as a "technical assistant” to Osmena is "Col.” Henry Gilhouser, who beat even the veteran Dr. Bewley to the Philippines by arriving as a sergeant with the Third Cavalry in 1900. It’s his tedious job to supervise the distribution of food, clothing, and medical supplies to the civilian population through the muchdiscussed agency called the Philippine Relief and Rehabilitation Administra tion, better known as Emergency Control Administration before its re-christening. PRRA is the funnel into which U. S. Army and United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation goods are placed for cir culation—a process which some describe as "rather devious.” If the other American helpers are to be likened to U. S. political “names,” then Gilhouser bears a resemblance to former vice-president John Nance "Cac tus Jack” Garner. He’s gray-haired, round-faced and 64. Brooklyn-born, he enlisted in the army at the age of 16, served in Puerto Rico and Cuba before coming to the Islands. After his dis charge and subsequent appointment to the Philippine Constabulary, he rose to the rank of colonel by 1913 while serv ing as assistant chief of the P. C. In the meantime, Gilhouser had served as governor of Davao and Sulu after an appointment in 1910 by Gen. “Black Jack” Pershing, then governor of Min danao, who soon was to leave for his famed Villa expedition into Mexico. Gilhouser also had been given the tough assignment of keeping law and order in turbulent Lanao province, where he established, in 1912, the first schools among Moro children whose only previous education had been from the Mohammedan Koran. The "colonel” relinquished his army job in Lanao in 1916 to manage interests of Standard Oil Company of New York in Mindanao, with headquarters at Zam boanga, Cebu, and Iloilo—a job he held for 20 years. 22 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN After a fling at mining ventures, he was preparing to return to the U.S. in May 1941 to settle Mrs. Gilhouser’s war fears when President Quezon, unknown to Gilhouser, announced the latter's appointment to handle the fuel and transportation division of CEA, of which Sylvester was head. He accepted the job and later, of course, was interned at Santo Tomas, where he continued to distribute money to needy Filipino families of American internees and guerrillas outside. Money used for this purpose came from loans which the late Carol C. Grinnell, a fellow-internee, was able to negotiate from General Electric Com pany. Because Grinnell and A. F. Duggelby were murdered by the Japan ese for their participation in the work, Gilhouser now sighs with relief and wonders how he escaped the same fate. After liberation, the PRRA chief waived his chance to return to America to remain and influence the Common wealth government to acknowledge its indebtedness to General Electric, which supplied funds for civilian welfare pur poses after the CEA’s half-share of a ten million dollar U.S. Congress appro priation disappeared during the Jap occupation. The Red Cross had received the other half, General MacArthur being the distributor. Gilhouser’s return to the States was further delayed when Osmena asked him to distribute supplies to war-destitute Filipinos through ECA. YOUNGEST of Americans in Malaca nan is 22-year-old Lt Leslie Callahan, who assumed duties this month as liaison officer between the palace and the U. S. Army after replacing homeward-bound Capt. James Sutton. A native Mary lander, he was training for a diplomatic career at Washington college in Mary land when an appointment to West Point came through. He graduated there with the class of 1944 along with Gen eral Eisenhower’s son. Arriving in Manila in March, Callahan served as junior aide to Senator Tydings during his mission here in May—an experience he believes will be helpful in his current task of handling the turn-over of Army surplus properties to the Commonwealth govern ment. The man in charge of keeping the High Commissioner’s residence in smooth running order during the Yamashita trial is an Italian-American, Tom Copolla, Ridgeway, Pa., who’s been in the Philippines since 1927. He was dis charged from the army at Ft. McKinley in 1940 and took over the job oft super intendent of buildings and grounds for Commissioner Sayre. "I had the lawn looking like a real tropical paradise be fore I went to Santo Tomas—and look at it now; I’ll have to start all over again,” he lamented. ‘The Pre-War Favorite’ 990 Dapitan, Sampaloc Manila Maria Aurora Quezon comes home— with a new maturity and humbleness Her Father's Daughter by Lyd Arguilla OUTWARDLY and at first glance it’s the same girl we knew in 1941. The same fiery flash of eye. The same stubborn, spoiled-brat manner: "Don’t bully me. I won’t be bullied. Do you think they’d feed me better food at that banquet than I’d eat at home? It’s a choice between staying home or going out.’’ The young man smiles and coaxes. She flounces back into her chair. Waves her arm in dismissal. "I can do as I please, now. Nobody will care. I’m no longer the President’s daughter. I can say what I please, do as I please. It feels good to be a common citizen.” Actually when there is no "audience” (for, like her father, whether she admits it or not, Baby gets dramatic before an audience) in quiet, serious talks with an old friend, she relaxes. Wide eyes get soft and at some recollection give a gentle hint of tears; petulance drops away from the thin, mobile mouth. Same girl yet different, with a new maturity and humbleness: “Lyd, what can I do? What is there to do? Charity here seems so haphazard. I want to help where I can be most useful.” “Coming home,” says this slender, wide-browed girl, “was something the family looked forward to so much. And yet I felt badly when I first saw Ma nila. It’s not the ruined buildings. It’s the people. They’re not the same. They don’t look happy. Oh, yes, I know. They’ve had three years of enemy occu pation, but I thought now that they are free again, that it would show on their faces. They don’t look happy. And we have not been home long enough to un derstand why not.” We sat, locked up in the bedroom be cause in the sala we were being inter rupted by callers coming and going every two minutes. "We heard you wanted to come back, though you were warned it is a bereaved country you are returning to. That you were insistent. Why?” “We wanted to come home. We were so homesick. Home meant not just this house, nor this street, nor Manila and Tayabas our home province. It meant friends, our own people. They told us things have changed in the Philippines, that people have suffered and are even now in great need. It is so hard to guess what to do for your people when you are so far away. So we came back, to help in any way we can. I can be use ful in charities with my ‘connections’, for instance. I know whom to approach for contributions, money. I have friends who can be gotten together easily to sell tickets for charity benefits. But I am bewildered. Maybe it’s because I haven’t had time to size up the situation. We have only been home a few days and most of that time has been spent seeing callers who come here everyday. Many have asked me to help raise money for war widows and orphans. But so many different organizations seem to be doing the same thing. I want to help, but I don’t know what to do. The relief that has come in here seems to get bottle necked somewhere along the distribution channels. Or they don’t get to the right places.” 23 24 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN We told her there are a number of women’s civic organizations she may well join or help rehabilitate. There’s the YWCA—an organization like that can do so much more and over a longer period of time than any desultory group of well-meaning individuals. There’s the National Federation of Women’s Clubs. Through its branches she could reach out the provinces, get puericulture centers ot some such projects undertaken lo cally. “I want to look around,” said Baby, “not grab anything that’s offered me.” “Go shopping?" “Yes. Find out what people really need. Go out among them, not just drive around, but get down and into houses— or barong-barongs. Where I can be most effective there I will serve. I’m thinking of working with the Girl Scouts. Helen Benitez has asked me. Anyhow I started on that work before the war. And it’s the least I can do for Mrs. Josefa LlanesEscoda who believed in the movement so much.” A knock at the door. “Come in.” Friend to say goodbye. Friend had brought young coconuts because she thought Mrs. Quezon and the girls and Nonong would want to taste young co conut again after such a long absence from the land of coconuts. The right graciousness and easy friendliness of manner in saying her thanks — Baby Quezon had not been the President’s daughter all those years for nothing. Friend goes out of the room. “Where were we?” War widows and orphans—to help re habilitate their lives rather than merely afford them temporary relief. Playgrounds for children—to reduce juvenile delinquency and crime, make for a healthier, wholesomer future cit izenry. Puericulture centers — for indigent mothers and their war babies; not to hold silly.-baby contests and award prizes to already fat babies. A fat baby is prize enough. It is the thin, undernourished unfortunate who can’t use prizes and blue ribbons so well as milk, medicines, clothing. Housing—because people need hous es, in many cases even more badly than food. How miserably mo6t people in Ma nila now live, doubled-up with several families in houses meant for one; cr staying in barong-bwrongs, little better than pig-stys. “Outside Manila how much damage is there?" “The situation is practically the same in every important town and city in the Philippines. The heart of the city or town is ruined. Reconstruction will be a long and painful process. Yet the sooner we build permanent, low-cost houses, the less trouble we shall have later if we had to tear down existing houses put up in haste as emergency jobs. Building should go hand in hand with long-term planning so that our towns and cities do not become more messed-up than before the war. Destruction has at least given us this advantage — that of having a chance to rebuild right. What a great pity if we failed to use that chance.’’ Knock at the door again. Major Soand-So to see you. “Let my 6ister, Nini, talk to him now. I’ll see him later.” “What can I do about housing?” “Get really interested in it as a citizen, and an influential one. There will be agencies to look after the various phases of planning and housing but in the end it is the people who will get things done by prodding the agencies. Just like being actively interested in politics—not necessarily as a politician but as a citi zen who will insist that his government gets run right.” “I know,” she said thoughtfully, “we don’t want to get tangled up with politics —there are those who want to make tools of my mother and us, but we’re not going to let them. At the same time we will be actively interested in how our HER FATHER’S DAUGHTER 25 government is run—just like other citi zens.” Talk veered to other topics. Sitting up in bed, cupping one knee between her hands, Baby said, “Lyd, tell me, I don’t understand the psycho logy of it—but how can some girls come and recount to me all about the hard ships they went through during the occu pation and in the next breath inform me that it cost them P500 to get the dress they’re wearing?” “People have short memories...” "I’m not trying to criticize, I’m trying to understand... people may forget soon about other people’s misfortunes, but not their own experiences, and the lessons they should have learned from their own hardships. We’ve been getting the worst kind of publicity in the States. Time magazine printed a story about a local fashion show where somebody fainted from making so many expensive gowns. Prices of the ternos were quoted too at Pl,000 or so — and you can imagine! There were our representatives in Wash ington, trying to convince Congress and the American people that the Filipinos need money for rehabilitation and re lief!” “There are many things I don’t un derstand,’* she continued. “When you have been away for so long you lose touch. Tell me, is it true that the mor als of the Filipino girls have become loose since the war? GIs going home to the States have said so. I’ve talked to them in the hospital where I did Red Cross work. It hurts to hear things like that said of one’s country.” We said morals have become looser everywhere in the world. Returning GIs say the same thing or worse of French, English, German, Australian, Japanese —even American girls. Not everything they say can be discounted. At the 6ame time the situation is not one to twist one’s soul about. That it’s a natural con sequence of the war, like increased law lessness and tendency to crime, inflation, and the black market—and will right it self as normalcy returns even though standards will have definitely changed. What we need is more understanding and compassion for our fellows—less bitter ness and desire to condemn. We told the girl there are many things to be happy about in our country. The war changed certain values — for the better with some kinds of people. Our newspapers, for instance, have less re volving hacks among them. Some leo pards can’t change spots, but most of the local newspapermen can no longer be “bought” or dazzled by “big shots.” They write according to their convictions —not according to which side their bread is buttered. “By the way, we read in the papers about funds being raised to build a mo nument for your father.” “What for? They would put the mo ney to better use if they turned the mo ney over to the Quezon Institute. I un derstand the Institute needs funds. The Quezon Institute can do a lot more to honor my father’s memory by aiding those who are afflicted with tuberculo sis than any monument.” Thought of her father reminded her of last year’s Christmas. “It was the most miserable we ever knew. We missed father so. I spent Christmas Day doing Red Cross work in a hospital. This will be the first real Christmas we will have in a long time. I don’t know what it will be like. But we’re home among friends, now.” “When my father died...” her eyes glistened for a while, “no one came to see us at all in Washington. Except our old American friends, and a few, very few Filipinos. We felt badly of course,” she shrugged her shoulders, “but we were prepared for it. Father had told us time and again to expect it." “That is why we are quite overcome by our reception here. More friends 2G THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN have come to see us than we expected. I’m glad I’m home. All of us are. Moth er wants to recover Dad’s intimate personal belongings, anything at all. She especially wants to have his letters to her—from 1907 when he was a nobody. She had his letters bound in an album and arranged according to dates. For myself I want to recover Dad’s speeches —not the official ones, there are records of those, but the ones he himself wrote into a notebook. I wonder if I’d still find them in Malacanan.” This is how we found Maria Aurora Quezon, no longer “Daughter of the President,” but as she is now, back after a war exile of four years to her father’s country and people. The same impe tuous, outspoken Baby, yet not the same, and always and essentially, her father’s daughter. rw Woodland Sketches in American (Recollections of a Land Well Remembered by a Son in Absence) by L. E. Vanbenthuysen PRISM WALLS Wander far along the threshing fields of wheat, Linger where the virgin spruces meet The rustic, cedar fences going east or west Or north or south and never rest Until they meet the greying, granite wall That guards the farmer’s land, however small, And sets the boundary for the raucous crow And tells a man how far his land can go. Gather where the corn is waving sweet And listen to the sighing pines repeat Their gentle, ballad call That mourns the summer’s coming into fall. Sit yourself beside a frosty mound That rises white and hard above the ground And test a solid pumpkin's wall Or listen to the fleeing wild geese call. Rise upon a virgin mom of white When silent snow has fallen through the night And wander all across a powdered world In search of nature’s flag unfurled Above a crystal pond of glass That harbors icy, sleeping bass And rimmed with silhouetted trees Is frozen in a barren ease That won’t relent until the sigh of spring Gives voice to tiny little birds that sing And flutter all about a daffodil Or taste a beetle with a tiny bilL WOODLAND SKETCHES IN AMERICAN 27 Watch a yellow tulip tossing on the air, Taste a luscious cherry growing fair, Listen to the buzzing bumblebee That sings a pollenated symphony: Wander far along the threshing fields of wheat, Linger where the virgin spruces meet The rustic, cedar fences going east or west Or north or south and never rest Until they meet the greying, granite wall That guards the farmer's land, however small, And sets the boundary for the raucous crow And tells a man how far his land can go. PURPLE BLOTCHES Grapes, growing in purple blotches on elfin leaves; Leaves of green and yellow blending into brown or beige. Tender little curls upon the vine, Like puppies on some high tightrope, Little grapes, uncompleted in their evolution, Sapping at the chlorophyl and growing green, Growing yellow, growing blue, red and purple. Great, purple blotches of grapes growing warm in the sun, Like precarious drops of wine dripping from a green lawn. Purple blotches, lush grapes, dewy honey wine Dripping in great purple blotches from a riotous green dawn. Grapes, growing purple, growing rich scarlet, growing tawny. Growing thirsty for human mouths to feed. YEAST TANG Autumn, gaudy flirt with all her wiles, Sassy with her red lip leaves, Pert with her golden hair leaves, Mysterious with her green leaves of serenity, Ageless with her purple haze mind, Carefree with her puffy, dancing clouds of feet, Talkative with her winds of many voices Seductive with her orange pumpkin blush, Changing with her dewy lashes of rain, Enticing with her crisp, frosty manners, Tasty with her hazel nut perfume, Daring with her tart red and golden apples of wisdom: Autumn, gaudy flirt with all her wiles. Ah, but that she might linger all the year, I would pay her ceaseless homage. m Two GIs tell a Filipino girl how she is likely to be received in America So You're Going to the States!' FIRST LETTER SO with enthusiasm in your heart and almost a pioneer spirit in your soul you look forward to your visit to the United States? You are going there to study in our universities, are you, Julia? You want to learn? No doubt, Julia, you too are filled with the same wondrous dreams of Amer ica that seem to fill the thoughts of so many girls like yourself. The beau tiful homes, the tall buildings, automo biles, and magnificent movie palaces. Yes, they are there, Julia, but not ne cessarily for you or your use. There are the poor also in the U. S., just like in your Philippines and they have no beautiful houses. Many of them live in hovels and huts like those you have seen here. Worse, many live in the tenements. That is one evil I do not believe you are very well acquainted with. You will get to know it very well in America. In some of the tall buildings, Julia, are offices and some of these offices hire clerks and stenos and typists. But Ju lia, not many of them would be willing to hire you. For if they did they would be creating a "race problem” and no American businessman in his right mind would do that. And those beautiful movie palaces. In many of them, Julia, you would not be allowed to purchase a ticket. They would tell you, perhaps politely but withal firmly, that they do not solicit the patronage of your race. Dick may have his fit, Julia, and the worst I will believe of him is that he is naive, but you would be refused service in some of our “better” cafes and restaurants for the same reason. You are going to one of our universi ties are you, Julia? I wonder if you would not be much better off going to one of your own. For you know, Julia, it’s going to be tough working at your studies and at the same time being, a6 you put it, “miserably, unashamedly frightened”. And that’s the w^y you will be. You might get over it, Julia, if there were one or two of your new found acquaintances to help you over this period. But, Julia, this may hurt but it’s the truth: I doubt if you will be accepted as "one of the bunch” by your classmates. You will be a curiosity at first, but after the novelty wears off you will find the "caste” system beginning to work. Yes, Julia, we do have a caste system in our universities, a very definite one. You have heard of sororities, haven’t you, Julia? No doubt, in your dreams of college life, membership in one is in cluded. Well, good luck, Julia, but I doubt it. In many colleges, it would be unthinkable to initiate into a sorority an 28 SO YOU’RE GOING TO THE STATES American of Jewish blood or a Nisei, or an American negro. Now, how much chance do you think you will have? I am sorry, Julia, but there is racial discrimination in the United States. Discrimination against the Negro, the Jew, the Nisei, and the Oriental. Some sections of the country have their own particular brand of discrimination—the Catholic, the Irish, the Italian, and so on. But those against the Oriental are almost coast to coast. Cities like San Francisco and New York have /their Chinatowns for the same reason Berlin had its Ghetto. That’s where we allow the Oriental to live. And the bounda ries of these Chinatowns manufactured of discrimination and public opinion are as strong as the electric ally charged fences that bound the Concentration Camps of Germany. And just as hard to break through. Because of some of your remarks, Julia, I sense that you are vaguely aware of conditions in the United States as they exist. But you attempt to brush them aside with platitudes and as sume because we were allies in this late war that perhaps everything has changed and it’s just possible that you may be welcome. That way frustration lies. Surely you have read of the returning Nisei veterans? It is not necessary to elaborate on the debt of gratitude our {country owes these people. Yet, even you know how they have been received. Now, how much of this "we were Allies” business is going to stand up? Do not think, Julia, that all Americans hold to the doctrine of “White SupreSECOND Dear Julia, I READ with great interest your article in the Phelippine-American. You seem to be bothered by doubts about how you will be received in the United macy”. We don’t. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that those who do are necessarily a minority. In some parts of our country they are the ma jority. Some of our most respected men, some of our clergy, some or our most influential newspapers preach this ser mon of hate. And, though regrettable, it is still a fact that some of our lead ing statesmen were elected to office on a platform of racial discrimination. Pretty rough, this sort of thing com ing from an American, isn’t it, Julia? Yet it’s time someone told you the truth. The movies, the magazines and, yes, our own GIs have, I am afraid, oversold our country. We love it, Julia, but we have, 0, so much work to do there be fore it will ever approach the state of things you are thinking of. Go ahead to America. Go to college and learn. But, when you go, don’t, Julia, go with the idea in mind that you are approaching Utopia.. Expect to see poverty, abject and miserable, dirt and filth, and class struggle. You will. Ex pect to take it on the chin from some of our snobs. Expect to feel the sorrow of discrimination and a general "push ing around”. Expect the customs to be different and to be hurt if you don’t comply with them. There are unthink ing people everywhere and we in Amer ica have our share of them. Expect to be bumped by them. You will receive your hard knocks and perhaps become disillusioned. I hope you do not become bitter. But go on and learn, Julia, and while you are there perhaps we can learn something from you. Sincerely, Paul E. Rittenhouse LETTER States when you go there. Your words struck a responsive chord in me, and I am impelled to do my best to answer you. It will not be a simple answer that dismisses the subject oue way or 30 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN the other; for, as you suggested, it is a complex problem for a foreigner to enter a strange land and be accepted. Initially, let me say that the answer is yes. You must come; I assure you that you will be welcome. It is this welcome and your subsequent accept ance that I wish to examine. First, it is important to realize that foreigner is a poor term. It is a word that suggests differences that do exist; but it emphasizes differences and ignores similarities. It is the similarities of people that constitute the bases for un derstanding, which give rise to smooth, mutually satisfying relations between different races. I will approach the similarities by way of the differences in an effort to sug gest the understanding that I hold so important. This understanding is not to be the academic understanding of the theorist; nor is it to be an understand ing born of wishful thinking, which is not true understanding, but feeling or emotionalizing. Instead, let it be a real istic understanding inspired of real thought and genuine feeling. You show every indication of recep tivity to this understanding when you speak of your friend’s statement that his family would welcome you and show you a good time. Though not denying the statement, you wisely look at the matter more thoroughly when you sug gest that this is only his opinion of how you will be received. Undoubtedly, no matter how enthusiastic he may be, there will be differences between your actual reception and his opinion of it. However, the family will accept you on two main bases. First, you will be welcomed for his sake. But of more per manent importance will be their accep tance of you for what you are. There are, then, two factors involved in your acceptance. You, and your new environment, of which the family is a part. They are part of the American Scene upon which you will make your debut You will be meeting Americans on their home grounds, a fact which i6 like ly to create problems that were not exis tent in your home land. In your native land you met Americans who pleased you, and those who did not. You will have the same experience in the States, but it will be more difficult. The Amer ican, in his natural habitat, will be more natural; he will not be acting as he prob ably did, in the Islands with a cons cious feeling that he was entitled to cer tain thoughts and actions. He will act as he feels with little thought on the matter. All of this places most of the burden on your pretty shoulders. You will have to face certain differences, and the best way to cope with them is to have some previous knowledge of those differences. The manner in which you react to them will, in particular, give you a chance to exercise your capacity for adjustment. One trait of the American that I have already suggested is their impul siveness of thought and action. Con clusions are hastily drawn, and action quickly begun. This characteristic should guide you, and if you make mistakes, some Americans may thoughtlessly .criti cize you and attribute the error to your race. Some will not, but you must be on your guard against hasty decisions. Also, Americans have an abundance of racial and religious prejudices. Various geographical sections and social strata of the country are intolerant of certain races and creeds. Of particular strength is the color prejudice against the negroes, which is not limited to the South. Realize that there might be some measure of carry-over to you from this. You may be burned as an acci dental bystander of a conflagration of which real Americans are not proud. Furthermore, Americans are a proud lot, and the pride of some Americans is different from a normal healthy nation al spirit; it has a superior and irritatSO YOU’RE GOING TO THE STATES 81 ing quality about it. Here I ask you, Filiplna, to separate the wheat from the chaff. Moreover, it would seem that many Americans are too materialistic, with the worship of the dollar being a com mon indication of this attitude. Some times the real values of life are marked by this feeling. Impulsiveness, prejudice, pride, and a rather materialistic attitude are some of the major differences, as I see them, between the Americans and your people. You will, undoubtedly, run into them all; be prepared to 6ee them in action. I shall not go into differences on the credit side of the ledger, for they will take care of themselves. Rather, let us turn to the similarities suggested at the beginning of this letter. There are many. There are a host of ideas, habits, and ideals that all peoples share. Of particular importance, how ever, is the paradoxical attitude of all peoples toward something new. On the one hand, they are reluctant to accept strange ideas and customs, and yet they are hungry for variety and newness. If this be true of Filipinos and Americans, . If each desires the new and the better, which is incidentally one of the spurs to all world progress thus far, each could accept the better parts of each other’s ways and ideas, with the understanding, I asked for, acting as a selector of the good parts, and as a means to soften the im pact of the bad. To come from the general to the par ticular: You must apply patience and understanding to both differences and similarities, resolving to some extent the differences, and capitalizing on the simi larities. Do not, for the sake of conformity, sell your ideas and customs short. Change, if you can do so honestly and without res ervation. But retain with calm tenacity the differences that do not clash. You will have both joy and sorrow, but so do the Americans in their own land. But if you wish you can, with thoughtful understanding and genuine feeling, become more than a guest of the land. You can become a part of it for as long as you desire. You can become a member of the American family. Sincerely, Norman Waite Mount Ararat Morning by Francis William Jennings The stars have left their places One by one To congregate and rise up As the sun— The vestments of the fields this day Are radiantly green And by the streams in prayerful dreams The bamboos humbly lean— Communicants in line, awaiting the Divine— While in the sky the white birds fly Through golden, watered wine. The cloud on Mount Arayat’s pattened hand Is spotless, morning offering of the land. The first of three articles on— THE FERMENT IN ASIA' I. Nth Century Imperialism Is Dead by Philip Christian BEFORE relinquishing Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, the Japanese deftly planted “in tellectual land-mines” for the return ing Allies—independent republics for the teeming colonial millions who had long yearned for real political freedom from the western powers. In the Philippines, of course, Japan’s pitiful puppet “republic” was recognized as the propaganda weapon it was, and Filipinos, confident that the United States would keep its pledge of independ ence on July 4, 1946, welcomed and actively aided the liberating forces. But elsewhere the Jap’s fake "independ ence” had so nurtured local political vitality that the peoples of Indonesia and French Indo-China particularly were no longer willing to assume their old role as inferior, exploited “colonials." They wanted the self-respecting stature of free men, and they would get it, >f necessary, in the same forcible manner that the Americans and French achieved their liberty: with guns. Everywhere in these countries the returning Allies were met, not by loyal equals as in the Philippines, but by gunfire. The dynamic of world politics has militated for many decades against the vicious empire system, which benefited dependent nations only when they re ceived unchecked control of their own destinies, remaining bound to the moth er country through culture—“by bonds * The Mcond. repraentlng the Chinese point of view, wUl be written by. Mr. Lin Yu, of The Fookien Times, and the third, representing the Filipino point of view, by Mr. Renato Cons tantino. Both wlU appear in subsequent issues. light as air and strong as steel,” as Edmund Burke said. Both Great Britain and America evolved a formula for this form of free dom. Under the British Commonwealth system Canada, Australia, and South Africa developed into major nations. But the British pattern has been tested most severely—and to date found want ing—by the effort to bring India into the circle of free and democratic nations. It was America’s revolutionary vision of training an ambitious race in the tech niques of virile democracy that gave impetus to the national aims of all sub ject peoples in the Far East. Despite private efforts by vested economic in terests to sabotage Filipino freedom, the program moved boldly forward. And so successful was it that the symbolic cere monies of next July 4 will be largely anti-climactic—the Philippine-American dream of a democratic outpost in South east Asia had met and passed tougher tests of democratic achievement than had ever been expected. A London newspaper has disclosed the basis of the unrest in the Dutch East Indies in these words: “In common with many of the peoples of Southeast Asia, they [the Javanese] now apparently as pire to independence on the model of the Philippines.” The liberal Detroit Free Press has acknowledged “that the experience of the Philippines under American management is proving a grave embarrassment to the whole system of white imperialism in the East.” Unhappily, many have attempted to 82 19th CENTURY IMPERIALISM IS DEAD 33 whistle the old tune that America is, in actuality, hypocritical when it points to the steady progress, under American guidance and encouragement, of the Phil ippines toward their goal of freedom. The new snickers at U.S. international morality stem from the State Depart ment request that Great Britain remove U. S. markings from the Lend-Lease weapons with which she is repressing the Indonesians. America’s position is clear and honorable: The weapons were freely given to help defeat the Japs. Since no strings were attached, how can they be recalled? All the United States could do was to demand, since the arms were now used for unforeseen and unde sirable ends, that it be done with every evidence of American displeasure. But the Javanese may yet win some thing more solid than mere passive U. S. support. Just as the fate of all empires is wrapped up in the security of each, so the future economic and political health of the Philippines will depend largely upon an expanding trade relationship with her vigorous, free Asian neighbors. In the mounting crisis of imperialism, America may find the opportunity fur ther to encourage Far Eastern demo cracy and simultaneously lay a firm commercial foundation for the Philip pines. The economic arguments against Im perialism, particularly as practised in the East Indies and in Indo-China, are indisputable and widely known: the titleholder takes all and contributes as little as possible in return; the practice is termed in real estate parlance, “milk ing the property.” The excuse, in the old days, for the “drain” was that the European powers provided protection; the Japanese ended that security argu ment in 1942. The rationalization has not appeared in bald form as yet, through the temporary justfication is the obvious necessity of disarming and corraling the defeated Japanese garrisons. Were the economic wealth of Holland’s East India possessions, one of the world's richest properties, harnessed to the task of raising the local population’s living standards, the whole world would be be nefited. Tiny Holland’s annual profit from the N.E.I. topped a quarter bil lion dollars annually, supplied by reve nue from 95 per cent of the world’s qui nine, 30 per cent of its tobacco, 20 per cent of its richest petroleum. Small won der the Dutch are determined to hold on to the colony—by force if necessary. The first and most obvious object on which the Islands’ bounties should be la vished is education, just as Taft’s fa mous 1,000 school teachers symbolized America’s initial contribution to the Phil ippines. Javanese nationalists accuse the Dutch of deliberately starving the islands’ educational system to forestall normal political aspirations. "The Dutch policy," so the saying runs, “is to keep the bellies of the people full, their minds empty.” The Dutch record in education is at best indifferent, N.E.I. illiteracy sometimes reaching 95 per cent. For tunately, one of the hand-picked early graduates of a Dutch "show-case” col lege in which “natives” were admitted was a brilliant engineering student later turned revolutionary leader, Dr. Achmed Soekarno. Despite their smug concepts of educa tional opportunities for all, the Dutch did practise inter-racial democracy, per haps solely to provide a binding sense of integration with the mother country for the great strata of Eurasians which form the backbone of the N.E.I. civil service. Nor did the Netherlands change the legal system, similar to that of the Philippines, under which the people re tain pre-emptive rights to land and other natural resources. By this code, Indo nesians were dispossessed for debt, and their property leased by Dutchmen. Le gal machinery to the contrary, however, profits flowed to absentee landlords in Europe, the real owners. French oppression in Indo-China has 34 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN been more violent. Their sins against the common people became a catalogue of imperialistic ills: opposition to educa tion and popular participation in govern ment, suppression of local culture, inhu man hours and pittance wages for la bor, strict censorship, a terroristic secret police, disproportionate living costs, ex cessive taxes, frequent graft, and, as always, the unreciprocated “drain” of all wealth. Such long-standing grievances could not but produce violent uprisings in the past. The Annamese in Indo-China, with a long history of liberty, have plagued French authority since the 19th century by forming revolutionary socie ties. In 1926 Annamese Communists and Nationalists culminated years of active resistance in a violent upheaval that France was barely able to suppress. During the same year, Malayans on Su matra revolted against Dutch rule, de manding a voice in their own govern ment. Both revolts were crushed with blood, and the Dutch, like the French, de termined “to make an example” of its leaders. The hapless patriots were carried in chains to a remote Dutch New Guinea valley which was hemmed in by head hunting tribes. Left without guard, since the savage terrain and savage cannibals made escape impossible, they were sneeringly told they could now have all the voice in their own government they wanted. But a true spirit of freedom is not so easily uprooted. Violence was narrowly averted seven years later, in 1933, when stringent “crisis measures” were initiat ed to shield N.E.I. wealth from the rav ages of the world depression. A virtual proclamation of martial law, the decrees made the governor a dictator empowered to control local trade and industry, li cense import-exports, fix prices and wages, forbid political activity, and re gulate communication and transporta tion. The unnecessary regimentation heightened the existing smouldering re sentment but there was no rebellion, since a decisive nationalist faction feared realistically the intentions of Japan’s "co-prosperity sphere.” Today nationalists in all subject countries are united in their anti European, pro-freedom ambitions. Liberrated, not by their "protectors,” but by Australian troops with American tactics and weapons, they owe no gratitude to The Hague. If these ambitions are thwarted, it will be by force. Queen Wil helmina pledged to "continue efforts” to maintain the Commonwealth, which she described as “built on the freely accepted solidarity” of her empire. In less gra cious terminology that means military strength will be used in the time-honored 19th century manner. But this is no longer the 19th century and there are portents that a new code of international morality will prescribe empire-colony relations. And looming over all arguments is the United States’ precedent of turning over the Philippine government to the Filipinos as originally scheduled. In the face of this example, other colonies ask why their national rights do not merit equal respect. The American press is uncompromis ingly opposed to the undemocratic poli tical fashions in the Far East, as are in fluential officials in the State Depart ment Certainly the mother countries cannot look to the U. S. for aid or sym pathy in putting down honest colonial aspiration. As the Detroit Free Press has said: "Our position in the matter was as sumed long since, and its words speak for themselves in our relations with the Philippines, founded on mutual trust and accommodation of the natural longings of mankind, which have withstood every trial and today emerge the stronger for it.” IMPORTANT BOOKS by Brigadier General Carlos P. Romulo Resident Commissioner of the Philippines, former aide to General MacArthur, Filipino editor and publisher, Pulitzer prize-winning journalist. I SAW THE FALL OF THE PHILIPPINES , d th ■' .t • of this war-u b a binutiful 9to,y’ MY BROTHER AMERICANS ( , d > a it to Mrs. Roosevelt, after hearing General Romulo apeak, wrote in her column: "I went from there with a curious sense of having heard and seen a very cxtraMANILA PUBLISHERS CO., INC. Exclusive Distributors 873-875 RIZAL AVE. MANILA Linking Two Worlds . . . Liquor Dept. General Merchandise Indent Dept. Hardware From the heart of the liberated Orient our branches are reaching out to provide you with service. Connect ions have been made with the U.S.A, and goods are coming in steadily to re-establish normal conditions. Here in Manila we are doing our part in re-building business life. Our many departments are open to as sist you—all providing the best of service for you— our customers and friends. Electric Motors & Machinery Office Equipment & Supplies FAR EAST AMERICAN Novelty Store Lab. Equipment & Chemicals COMMERCIAL CO., INC. MANILA Main Office: Branch: Villonco Bldg., Quezon Blvd. Novelty Store—39 Escolta Branch: Machinery Dept.: 2219-25 Azcarraga “THE HOUSE WHICH SPELLS SERVICE” Am Thinking of Us Today —A Story I AM thinking of you today because it is Christmas, the time of year when one remembers those with whom one has been happy. Outside, the ruins of Manila lie bleaching in the sun, skeletons of a city desecrated and forsaken. From afar comes the blare of an army radio, making .the dream of a white Christmas a nightmare of noise for homesick GIs still sweating it out in the camp you have left. There is no leisurely ring of horses’ hoofs striking the asphalt, no spattered red of potted poinsettias, no lofty warmth of flame trees sturdy by the roadside. There is only the roar and sputter and grind of huge wheels against dirt, the drift of billowing smoke upon seared grass. There is no Christmas tree in our barong-barong. Neither is there a minia ture representation of Bethlehem, nor gifts wrapped in green and red and twinkling with silver ribbon. But the obi that you sent me from Japan is laid on the one good table, a flash of brilliance to defy the gloom. I look at it now, and the thought of you is a glow like the gold that weaves through its pattern— sunlight through lattice-work. And I re member that today it is Christmas, even if the trappings are of decay and the setting is desolation. You meant to spend Christmas with me, but the plans of men and women do not count for a centavo against the will of the Army. You have been gone these many centuries — it is hard to believe For so many things have happened. I now have a job which gives me security to wipe off the fear of last year’s hunby Ligaya Victorio-Reyes ger. I have been given a dress that looks prewar. The prices are still up, but there is talk of their going down, and this once we hope that where there is smoke there will be fire. Manila is coming more firmly to life — a bit too hysterical, a bit too gaudy, but life ne vertheless. Because it is Christmas, let me be sen timental and recall the fun we have had. Remember the day we spent by the seaside? We watched the ships come in, loaded with the stuff that life is made of. You said that very soon there would be rice and meat and even sugar to put some flesh in cheeks that starvation had made haggard. You looked at my arms which were just filling out, silent about the scars that covered bayonet wounds. You passed your hand over my hair, murmuring that the edges, burnt when our home took fire, were softer to the touch. Ten derness is food and drink when'dne has known cruelty, senseless though it may be, and I could have kissed your hand because you had it then for me. I remember the jeep rides we have taken, your hand holding my shoulder against a particularly rough bounce, our laughter superior and amused at the jibes pedestrians flung at me. I remember the dancing we had done, myself in my one good dress and in a pair of pretty shoes a cousin had given me after I left the refugee camp. The music was sweet, the floor was good, and I could forget that my mother lies buried in some strange backyard and that my brother is still missing. I' wore an orchid in my hair and I was AM THINKING OF US TODAY 37 in love, and the past buried itself deep er in my heart. And I remember that once, centu ries ago, you actually asked me to marry you. I wonder if you under stand why I didn’t, then. I have told you I love you, and love can be suffi cient excuse for marriage. But love is not all in wartime, or immediately after peace. There is no normalcy, even in the heart. There is still the hang over of combat fear, of starvation and insecurity, of death. Man is lonely, woman is despairing, and in both is an eagerness to make the most of the moment which each fears is but pass ing. But marriage is not a passing moment. Not for me—nor for you. Marriage has never been easy, but it is more difficult under circumstances like ours. I know we speak a common language. Our feelings are alike. Your sight and mine are geared to the same appreciation of beauty. Our laughter rings the same, and we know the same respect for the right of people to live the way they believe. Your skin has been browned by three years overseas. My complexion has been paled by months in a hospital. My cheek comes to rest against the funny curve of your chin, and my heart is only a little dis tance from yours when we dance. But your past is different from mine, your future promises to be. You have seen both the East and the West—you can make comparisons. But what I know of your country is what I read in ma gazines and what I see in the movies. My knowledge of your people is limited by contact with people like you—fight ing men who are geared to friendliness or hatred by the machinery of war. I suspect that life in America is not all chromium and streamlining, not fur coat and satin, that beneath the power and the wealth lies misery and want and despair. And that beneath the fine talk and the admiring smile are curiosity and even veiled hostility. But these are still suspicions. I don’t dare find out if they are true. The things we remember are different. We must be sure that the things we look forward to are the same. Even the co lors of our Christmases are different. Yours are white, mine are green. Christ mas to you must mean snow on the ground, and a huge Christmas tree with glittering parcels to hedge in the spirit it represents. These things mean Christmas to me: a new dress for Mass, kissing the hands of our elders in simple greeting, coins clinking in beaded purses, the pleasant reek of green oranges, the mouth-watering vapor of lechon. We have no Santa Claus. We know just whom to thank for Christmas cheer. Christmas, they say, is the same the world over. But would you recognize Christmas if the wrappings are differ ent? I want to be sure that you can. Lately, we have welcomed Christmas trees into our salas and piled bright parcels of foreign gifts about them. But we still have our shiny coins, we still go about kissing the hands of our elders, we still consider hearing Mass the most elevated way of observing Christmas. For we are westernized just so far and no farther. We are Orientals, and Orientals we shall remain while our skins remain brown and our country floats on the face of an ocean near the sun of morning. We shall feel proud in so remaining as long as we re member that there is pride in being what you are no matter what you might hope to be, and that pride in so being is last ing panacea against prejudice, a shin ing shield against the small-minded contempt and ignorance which varies in cruelty of expression according to the amount of pigment in peoples* skins. You say you are different. I must be certain that you are. When, you look at our peasants and our nipa THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN shacks, do you remember that in your own country you also have peasants and shacks’ Or do you believe that we have a monopoly of them? When you gaze at our slums and our scum, do you think of your glittering mansions and your dazzling debutantes? Do you remember that this is a country ravaged by war and that possibly beneath the muck and ruck, there is decency and the gemtleness of peace? The looting and the thieving, the cheapness and the mire—have you ever wondered just how much misery and want they cover? Dearest Keith, I’m not apologizing. But how many among us remember that war is a can cer that eats deep into the soul of man, and the stench can be the odor of mar tyrdom? And I must be certain that between us there is no prejudice. That to you I am a woman desirable and not just in triguing, because I possess the qualities that you find desirable in woman. I don’t want to be just part of the strange ness that is war—the strange sights and tastes and feelings that are thrust upon a fighting man, and which in peacetime must fade into the shadowiness of dream. We must know what love between a man like you and a woman like me must stand in peacetime. The companionship that we know must be something apart from the loneliness that is such a curse in wartime. The dovetailing of tastes, the similarity in outlook, and the ear nest desire to make such similarity and dovetailing the basis for a rich life to gether should be made to stand the test of time. We must be certain that passion is not a brief candle which bums at both ends and rests against the precarious edge of youth’s vanishing moment. Passion should be a steady glow that cannot con sume itself, and which towards the end must simmer down into a mellow warmth that will ease the cold of the years’ dy ing, a mere breath, but scented with the memory of delight it had served to deepen. Of these we cannot be certain while the poison of war lingers in your mind, while peace is still so strange a dream in your heart. You must go back to the world which four years ago you have left, and in the embrace of the things which to you have stood for security and peace, try and decide if the look in a woman’s eyes, the yearning in her arms, the flame of love in her heart now re flected in yours make for a strength that can combat whatever bewilderment and pain a marriage like this can bring. I HAVE said all these to you before, but I put them now on record be cause I have to convince myself that I am right. Because today, being Christ mas, I feel so lost and alone without you by my side. And because despair is in my heart. I may be right, but I also want to be happy. Sometimes I wonder if the future is worth all the pain of the present. Because I still have youth, I am still wondering if respect and love like ours can combat the serpents of pet tiness and cruelty which man, being man, has nourished in his bosom. The casual cruel word, the glance askance, the discrimination and ostracism—will they be matters for deep despaijr or ins truments for a closer drawing together? I do not know—I cannot know now. I only know that I love you, even if this love is not reckless enough to snatch at the happiness of the present and let to morrow take care of its pain. You keep saying that you love me, that you will come back for me. Much though I love you I beg you to take your time about it. Make certain that I fit into the life which you will build for yourself. Make your own adjustments, then you can help me make mine. In the meantime, this being Christmas, I send you my love. Wrapped though it is in banana leaves and tied with abaca* twine, it is still of the height and depth and strength that make it the perfect Christmas gift. The Filipino goes under the knife— here is what one surgeon discovers The Filipino Is a He-Man by I. V. Mallari WOMEN are highly susceptible to flattery. So is the Filipino male. He laps compliments as a kitten does milk. Sometimes he does not even know when his leg is being pulled. For he takes the praise of a fellow creature seriously and as a mat ter of course. He is pretty sure he deserves it. Yet he is offended if he is compared to a woman in any respect. He is proud of his masculinity, and he loves to as sert it. He feels it is demeaning to do chores that women alone are supposed to do. And, unlike his American broth ers, he would practically die of em barrassment if he were suddenly surpris ed washing dishes, darning his own socks, or pushing the baby carriage. He is expansive about his romantic conquests. He can, at the drop of a hat, give numberless instances of his irresistibility—his way with the gentler sex. He would never admit being won by a woman. He prefers to believe that it is always he who does the chas ing and the winning. His favorite topic of conversation is the female anatomy. He enjoys standing at street corners and casting speculative eyes on nylon-encased legs and oscillating hips. His jokes and his anecdotes are almost al ways pornographic, and he would con sider you a friend once you have swapped dirty stories with him. The Filipino, as a matter of fact, wants to be known as a gay dog—a com bination of Benvenuto Cellini, Francois Villon, and the Great Profile—with a touch of the languorous East. He wax es literary and poetic whenever he touch es the subject of women. By this is meant being flowery, prolix, and gen erally boresome. For he believes that women are the very essence of poetry and that Phil ippine poetry has suffered because the Filipino woman has turned modern. He would not admit, however, that, if Phil ippine poetry has suffered, it is be cause he has run out of cliches about women. This, of course, saddens him. For he takes art and literature quite seriously, believing that he belongs to an inherent ly artistic race. He is shocked when a writer asks to be paid for his work. He feels that a writer should not soil the hands dedicated to the muses with such a filthy thing as money. A.RT, to the Filipino, is something esoteric, something beyond the compre hension of the average layman. It should, therefore, always be approached with care and contemplated with respect and awe. One thing is certain to the Filipino however: art is synonymous with beau ty. To be beautiful, an object has to be ornate. A carved chair, for example, is more artistic than another which is simpler in design. Since a chair with a plain back is more comfortable than one with a carved back, the Filipino is often confronted with this dilemma: which should he choose—comfort or art? Restraint in design, especially in build ings and furniture, always puzzles him and leaves him cold. Artistic discipline is foreign and irksome to his exuberant spirit. 40 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN He has the same attitude towards cri ticism in general. Of course, he always wants to have it known that he wel comes criticism. But he always speci fies “constructive criticism,” which, to him, can mean only favorable criticism. He cannot stand any adverse statement about his work or about his attitude of mind. He thinks it is an affront to his dignity, to his manhood, and to his intelligence. And he is filled with a vehement desire to knock his critic’s head off. His amor propio is tremen dous. The Filipino is forever harping on the need for native culture and all its manifestations, reminding one of a man who is intensely preoccupied with fam ily trees for the simple reason that he himself is not very sure of his pedi gree. He dreams of a culture and a language purely autochthonous. Yet he worships in Churriguerresque churches, and he is proud to call home a poor version of an American nine teenth-century architectural atrocity. His sartorial criteria are Esquire maga zine, Hollywood, and Palm Beach. He dances like the Negroes of Harlem and tries to write like Hemingway, Saroyan, or Dorothy Parker. The Filipino, as a matter of fact, excels in imitating others. This he does quite as a matter of course, without even trying to find out first whether the thing he is imitating is good or bad. He sees GIs wearing their wrist-watches on the lapels of their shirts, and lol he suddenly begins wearing his wrist-watch on the lapel of his shirt also. It is possible that it is thus he got his notions about being democratic— until now he fondly believes that demo cracy has been inherent in his race and that it has been “nurtured by four hun dred years of contact with the West— conveniently overlooking the cruel des potism of Spain. Most of the Filipino’s democracy is manifested in his politics, which is, to him, a matter of life and death. It is to be suspected, however, that his con ception of democracy is of the most su perficial. He is, for example, subser vient to his superiors and arrogant to his inferiors. For the Filipino is fun damentally a snob. He is impressed by wealth and social position, particularly by the outward trappings of these— namely, fine clothes, worldly possessions, and a lavish standard of living. That is why the Filipino is often completely taken in by impostors and charlatans. Government offices are teeming with highly-paid "experts,” both imported and local, with no greater grasp of their supposed specialties than their subordinates struggling along on star vation wages. Barnum would have had a warm corner in his heart for the Fi lipino. The Filipino is easily dazzled by di plomas and titles, regardless of how these have been earned. There are countless educational mills in which these diplo mas and these titles may be obtained on very lenient terms; and the public elementary school course has been re duced to six years, in order that even the dullest child may claim to have gone through school and therefore, to be "educated.” Any nincompoop return ing from abroad is automatically consi dered a savant. His platitudes are ac cepted as if they came from Sinai, and his artificial manner of speaking the King’s English is taken as a sample of the Harvard accent or even the Oxford accent. In short, the Filipino, as McNutt caustically remarked before the war, is concerned with the form instead of with the substance—certainly not with the quality of that substance. He has em braced the philosophy of the just-as-good and the just-as-well. His standards of taste are not of the highest, and they are colored by a rather fierce variety of provincialism. THE FILIPINO IS A HE-MAN 41 This is often mistaken for patriotism, of which the Filipino talks eternally and vociferously, probably because the idea of nationalism is comparatively new to him. He even holds the naive belief that nationalism alone can solve the so cial and economic problems of the coun try. He believes, for example, that the nation can become economically inde pendent by the simple expedient of pa tronizing home industries and buying only from stores run by his countrymen. But he invariably finds himself eating in Chinese restaurants, enjoying Amer ican movies more than local films, and buying foreign goods; because that is the only way, he realizes, in which he can get his money’s worth. This may lead you to believe that the Filipino is inconsistent. Well, he is. In this, of course, he is also like a wo man. But try even implying that he is, and you will suddenly witness a pro digious assertion of his masculinity. For the Filipino is a he-man. m Curtain by Pfc. Caesar F. Kotondi Children of war, anxious troops Swarm home in nervous groups Besiege familiar shores Unscarred by wars And blood-drenched hands reach eagerly, Groping towards breasts loved dearly, And long missed, The promised trysts Remembered and fulfilled As warm arms melt the ling’ring chill; What matter if they fail To know the cause of their travail! Their procreation Will produce a generation To revere those fallen In the Earth’s great swollen Thaw — cut off before The world proclaimed the end of war. The struggle never ceases, And these dead alone know what peace is. Two views, Pro and Con, on the Question— WAS ROXAS A COLLABORATOR? I. Yes; Mortal That He Is, He Was by J. Antonio Araneta Manuel roxas y acuna has missed the chance of occupying a niche in the Philippine hall of fame. His is an irretrievably lost case. He is the perfect example of a man who progressively degenerated from a con servative to a reactionary. Like all the strong men of destiny who preceded him, his concern for peace and order is fanatical. But peace and order for whom, we wonder. His service to the enemy was a necessary and logical stage in his ideological development. "Peace and order is, of course, an absolute essential. But peace and order does not mean merely the ter mination of all hostile acts against the established regime; it means also the respect for the authorities and obedience to the laws and regul ations duly promulgated. It also means, on the part of the people, con fidence and faith in the Government in its ability to administer the law properly and justly.” Thus did Roxas, under the aegis of the Rising Sun, embark on a career of easing the burden of the Japs in sup pressing the deep-seated resistance of the people against the invaders. The place: Malaybalay; the date: Septem ber 5, 1942. The attempt was a total failure. The remarkable record of the Filipinos in their epic resistance against the enemy has elicited generous praise from all over the world. But our occupation leaders cannot claim credit for this. That 99% of the Filipinos did not colla borate is certainly not the fault of Roxas, Laurel and Aquino. It would be an arrogant presumption for these men to claim credit and bask in the glorj^ of the people’s resistance. If they failed it was not their fault. It is simply that they did not realize the immovable faith of the Filipinos in democracy. The history of Roxas from the day of surrender in Mindanao to the day when General MacArthur, for some reason or another, liberated him and captured his closest friends with whom he served in the high councils of the pup pet republic, is one of cleverness and op portunism. He is a brigadier-general in the U. S. Army. When the fight against the enemy became hopeless, sur render was the only thing left. Sur render under the circumstances was hon orable. No one, not even a super-pat riot, can impugn that act. As an offi cer of the Army he was a prisoner of war. He would be naive if he should claim that the Japs would not attempt to use him. And they did. Tomas Cabili is authority for the statemenFto the effect that Roxas sent him a letter ask ing him to give up and help in the res toration of peace and order. Why did not Manuel Roxas, a soldier, a brigadier general at that, stick to his status as a prisoner of war? The answer is ob vious. He wanted to save himself. In 42 WAS ROXAS A COLLABORATOR? 43 other words, when he could have been of greatest service to the cause, he joined the enemy. There is very little doubt that he would not have been executed had he refused to collaborate. After all it has been stated that the Japanese realized their mistake in executing Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos. Death of course is the extreme sacrifice. Per haps his love of life far transcended his sense of obligation and of the responsi bilities of leadership. We have no right to expect him to be another Jose Abad Santos. It is probably for this reason, he told the Japanese: “Jose Abad San tos is a better man than I am.” But we have a right to punish him for that fail ure, and that punishment is political os tracism. If danger ever comes again, and he is chosen to lead the country, the example and conduct he has shown should serve to remind us that he will fail. The Japanese militarists—assiduous students of Machiavelli—employed an indirect method of controlling the Fili pinos when they realized that it was im possible to exploit them directly. In the political field the rulers, they learned from Machiavelli, should always pre serve and maintain a semblance of bene volence and magnanimity. So the Japs decided, to gain the sympathy of the Filipinos and exploit their love of in dependence, to give them the closest thing resembling political independence. The Japs went through all the necessary motions, including a period of prepara tion. Thus was born the Preparatory Commission for Philippine Independence. The most prominent member of this body, Manuel Roxas, helped considerably in drafting the constitution of the pup pet republic. Two years later, when he was asked by a correspondent of Time Magazine about his activities as a mem ber of this commission, he replied: “I helped in the drafting of the constitution to make it less despotic and give more freedom to the people.” We wonder, if in his occasional tussles with conscience, Roxas thinks he suc ceeded. Perhaps readers of this consti tution which Roxas helped draw up will find in it all the elements of a democra tic form of government. But history is replete with cases which demonstrate the infinite difference between form and substance, between the word and the deed. The case of the Philippines is not an exception. WHEN the period of shortage in prime commodities came, the Japs again utilized the magic name of Roxas. And again he consented. As Chairman of a board the principal purpose of which was to commandeer rice ostensib ly for the civilian population but in reality for the Japanese armed forces, !.e delivered an impassioned speech before the rice growers asking them to deliver their rice to the BIBA. With tears flowing, he depicted to them the sad plight of the population. The following day, as many will recall, the price of rice rose and more people died of hun ger. Roxas was not against the declaration of war against the United States. Re liable authorities state that he was in favor of it. We find the following from the memorandum of Mr. Miguel Unson, of what transpired at Malacanan on September 22, 1944: “Someone then asked for General Manuel Roxas, and the President stated that the latter had declined to assist at the session, because he had already expressed his opinion. The President added that General Roxas had told him that, if the Japanese authorities asked for the declaration of the existence of a state of war, or for the declaration of war, such de claration should be made.” Of this incident, Mr. Ramon Fernan dez says in his memorandum: "At this moment, one of those pre sent called attention to the absence of General Roxafi, to which His Excel lency answered that, because of the THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN state of his health, he (Roxas) had not been able to attend the gathering, but that he had already expressed his opinion the day before in these or similar words: ‘“Compadre, if our allies require this declaration of the existence of a state of war, sign it; and if they are not satisfied, and want a declaration of war, do it also.’ ” For this signal service to the cause of the enemy, Manuel Roxas was spared his life. But how was he to face the people when, contrary to all Jap propaganda, they were finally re deemed? Roxas is not intelligent for nothing. In all fairness it must be ad mitted that he may have had connections with some guerrilla organization. After all, did not five American guerrilla chiefs give him certificates attesting that he was their spiritual leader? It does not matter of course that one of them turned to be so anti-Filipino as to say that the majority of the Filipinos do not want independence. The fact remains that there are those credentials to which Roxas is now tenaciously clinging like a tight-rope walker holding on to his um brella. Moreover, did not Gen. MacAr thur, the man who discovered the poten tialities of mechanized warfare when he used tanks to disperse the bonus mar chers in Washington—did not this great General liberate Roxas and cap ture the other puppets? The real ques tion is whether his tenuous connection with the resistance movement is enough to compensate for the harm he had done to the cause of democracy by aligning himself with the Japs. Active connec tion with the resistance was the sacred duty of every Filipino. As a duty, no one should claim, extra credit for having performed it. It should not serve to atone for the evil one does when one collabo rates with the enemy. We are taking for granted that Roxas is genuinely concerned with democracy. He has mouthed the word so often that it is possible that he has come to believe in it. Here again, between the word and the deed, lies an infinity of dif ference. The fact is that Roxas, in his entire career, has never lost- a night’s sleep over such liberal thoughts as civil liberties, rights of the people, and eco nomic democracy. His periodic discove ries of the common men always occur sometime around elections. He can neveiforget that he is a member of the Nacio nalista Party, the majority of whose members collaborated with the Japs. The Nacionalista Party has been and will always be the party of the vested interests. It has never hesitated to im pose its will upon the people. While it is true that such conditions as existed in Germany and Italy did not exist in the Philippines, yet it must be remem bered that the Nacionalista Party cer tainly tried its best to deny the people those rights and privileges inherent in a democracy. Commissioner McNutt is authority for the statement that demo cracy in the Philippines existed only in form and not in substance. That the Na cionalista Party through its instrumen tality, the government, was not able com pletely to suppress civil liberties, *was due to the vigilance of the local mili tant progressive groups. Many promi nent Nacionalistas were also prominent in the business world. It is hardly to be expected that they, because of their as sociations and convictions, should believe in the people or espouse progressive ideas. Thus the collaborators were Na cionalistas first and collaborators after wards, just as Petain, Laval and Quisling were fascists first, before they were col laborators. Yes, Manuel Roxas had to collaborate. The logic of facts demanded it. And mortal that he is, how could he have done otherwise? IL No; and Here Are the Facts by Federico Mangahas THE question can so easily be charged with emotion that it would un doubtedly be far better to let the facts speak for themselves. Here, then, are the bare facts which anyone can verify for himself. Two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Manuel Roxas offered his serv ices to General MacArthur. On Decem ber 15, 1941 he was called to duty as a Lieutenant Colonel. Appointed aide to General MacArthur and in agreement with President Quezon, he was assigned Liaison Officer between the Army Com mand and the Philippine Government. While acting in this capacity, he was authorized by President Quezon to sit in at all meetings held by the Cabinet. General MacArthur himself attended one or two of these conferences. At the last Cabinet meeting held a few hours before President Quezon’s departure for Corregidor, a member of the Cabinet asked President Quezon for instructions as to the attitude they should take upon the anticipated enemy occupaion of Ma nila. President Quezon replied that he had discussed the matter with General MacArthur and that with the latter’s ap proval, his instructions were that all government officials remain at their posts until the Japanese decide otherwise; that they continue serving the people to avoid disorders and to mitigate their sufferings; and that while they should continue to serve the government there was one thing that; they should refuse to do, namely, to take an oath of alle giance to Japan. While the activities of General Roxas on Corregidor and Bataan, and later on in the Visayas and Mindanao, may not be wholly germane to the ques tion of whether he was a collaborator or not, it is only fair to point out that his work there during the war was su premely valuable to our government and our forces. He continued to maintain liaison between General MacArthur and President Quezon and facilitated contact with the provincial governors of the un occupied provinces through the Army communication system. He visited the Bataan frontlines several tims in order to help maintain the morale of our for ces. Under his direction, the Army was able to run the tight Japanese blockade and secure A few hundred bags of rice from Batangas and later more substan tial supplies from Capiz and Iloilo con sisting of 30,000 sacks of rice, 2,000 sacks of sugar, and 800 bags of salt. When President Quezon left Corregi dor around the 21st of February, Roxas remained and was given full authority to act for and in behalf of the President in all matters of government and, part icularly, to take charge of the national treasury. Before General MacArthur left Corregidor on March 11th, he asked Roxas to remain and take charge of the government in view of the fact that President Quezon, who was already in the Visayas, was scheduled to leave for Australia and the United States. MacArthur also thought it important that Roxas remain in to assist General Wain wright in maintaining the morale of our forces still fighting on Bataan. When President Quezon was about to leave Mindanao for Australia, he was determined to take Roxas along with him because in his own words, Roxas was too valuable a man to risk on Cor regidor. When R3XSs leafhed of Que45 46 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN zcn’s plans, he flew out to Mindanao and upon meeting the President at DeJLMonte convinced the latter to let him stay a few weeks longer. Quezon agreed but assured him that as soon as he reached Australia he would ask General MacArthur to send a plane to Mindanao to be placed at Roxas’ disposal so that he could go to Australia if and when the circumstances should so require. In Min danao Roxas worked very closely with Ceneral Sharp, the commanding general of the USAFFE forces bn the island, at the same time making trips to Cebu and Negros, communicating with the provin cial governors of the unoccupied provin ces, and providing them with funds need ed for relief purposes. After the surrender of Corregidor, Sharp received orders from General Wainwright requesting that the USAF FE troops in Mindanao surrender to the Japanese who had threatened to annihi late all the forces on Corregidor unless the remaining USAFFE forces surrend ered likewise. At first Sharp refused to heed the appeal of Wainwright but a few days later when the Japanese forces that invaded Mindanao had succeeded in piercing our lines and a personal emis sary from Wainwright had contacted Sharp reiterating his appeal to surrend er, Sharp decided to do so. Upon learn ing of Sharp’s decision Roxas gathered a few officers and enlisted men and went to the hills, determined not to surrender. A few days later, however, he was in formed that the Japanese were dissatis fied with the situation in Mindanao where less than 7,000 out of approximate ly 30,000 men composing the army had surrendered, and were threatening repri sals. He therefore decided to return to Malaybalay. Entering the prison camp without being noticed, he talked to Gen eral Sharp who prevailed upon him to remain in the camp in order to avoid Japanese reprisals against the civilian population. A FEW days later, a Japanese of ficer came to the camp to inquire about a Filipino officer by the name of “Rflcasu.” Roxas did not consider him self properly identified, so he did not answer the call. Fortunately, his name cannot be written in Japanese except as above, for had he been identified at that time, it is certain that he would have been executed. As a matter of fact, he learned a few weeks later that his exe cution had been ordered by General Ha yashi, then chief of the Japanese military administration in Manila. In June, at Davao, the military police investigated and tortured him fop* 17 days but failed to elicit any important information. While there he was asked to sign an appeal to all USAFFE forces and guer rillas to surrender. This he refused to do on the plea that he was a war pris oner and could not be compelled to sign such an appeal. A month later, how ever, he learned that the Japanese had printed a leaflet purporting to have been signed by him asking all USAFFE per sonnel to surrender in accordance with the order of Generals Wainwright and Sharp. He declares that this leaflet had neither been authorized nor seen by him before it was dropped by Japanese planes. Upon his return to Malaybalay, he was named commander of the Filipino war prisoners* camp, an assignment which pleased him because it gave him a chance to be of service to his men. He exerted every effort to provide them with the best care and food, and despite the fact that many of the 6,500 men un der him were afflicted with malaria and dysentery, only 24 of them died. As camp commander he was visited by the chief of staff of the Japanese forces in Mindanao with the request that he send emissaries to the guerrilla units on the island asking them to surrender. Roxas told him that in view of the fact that he was a war prisoner, his appeal would not be heeded by these elements. WAS ROXAS A COLLABORATOR? 47 He insisted that Roxas select about 250 officers for this job. At an officers’ meeting Roxas said that whether they liked it or not they had to send 250 of ficers to make these contacts. He asked for volunteers and more than the re quired number offered their services. The credentials carried by these men did not demand that the guerrillas surrend er but merely informed the members of the former USAFFE forces of the order of Wainwright and Sharp to surrender. Before they left he personally told everyone of them that they were not to act as spies or to do anything to dis courage guerrilla activities. He told them that as soon as possible they should immediately take to the hills and or ganize guerrilla units. Not a single guerrilla unit surrendered because of the activities of these officers. As a matter of fact, more than 90 per cent of them joined the guerrillas or indepen dent units which became the backbone of the guerrilla movement in Mindanao. The war prisoners were subjected to a six-week “rejuvenation" training. Conducted by Japanese officers it con sisted of Japanese military drill, Nippongo, and lectures on Japan's war aims. At the end of the course, Roxas was asked to speak before the men. Des pite the order of the prison commander, he refrained from expressing any favor able opinion concerning the war purposes of Japan. On the contrary, he reminded the troops of their duties as Filipino soldiers, and their responsibility in see ing to it that the sacrifices of our people during the war should not be in vain. Everybody in the camp understood what he meant; they knew that the man who had spoken before them was a true and loyal Filipino. On November 17th Roxas was taken to Davao, again investigated and asked to serve the puppet government. He re fused to serve, saying that he preferred to remain in the prison camp. On Nov ember 22nd, he was flown to Manila for a conference with the chief of the Japan ese military administration. From the airport he was taken to his house but guards were stationed there with orders that he was not to see or speak to any body without the permission of the head of the military administration or the chief of the military police. This order was never revoked. Nor was he ever released as a pris oner. He is probably the only Filipino war prisoner in the Philippines who was never formally released, for he had re fused to sign any commitments as a con dition for his release. He was later summoned by the head of the military administration to several conferences. Roxas stubbornly refused all requests that he serve the govern ment in any capacity, alleging among other things the poor state of his health. In one of these conferences he was a4ked his opinion On Tojo’s plan to grant independence to the Philippines. He gave it as his candid opinion that it was a mistake for Japan to grant in dependence to the Philippines for the following reasons: (1) While the war continued, the Jap anese could not be expected to permit the Filipinos to run their own government. He told General Watsi that the grant of independence under those conditions would fail to win the good will of the Filipinos because the Filipinos would immediately be disillusioned with that kind of independence. (2) If, as was evident, the purpose of Japan in granting independence to the Philippines was to convince the peoples of Greater East Asia that Japan was sincere in her announced policy to li berate the dependent peoples in this part of the world, the plan would prove a boomerang because the other peoples would realize that independence under Japan was no independence at all in view of the fact that the military authorities would continue to govern. 48 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN His purpose in opposing indepen dence was to prevent Filipinos from assuming any responsibility for the government during the occupation. He also feared that, if the Philippines were granted independence, Japan would later on insist that the independent govern ment declare war against the United States. Though Watsi seemed to agree with his views, he told Roxas that he could do nothing about it because the poliey had been laid down in Japan. A few days later General Tojo visited Manila and a big parade was held at the Luneta. The people were compelled by the Japanese to attend. Roxas did not attend, feigning illness, and was in vestigated by the military police. The next day, Tojo called Filipino leaders to a conference. Still “ill,” Roxas was taken from his house by the military police and brought to the Manila hotel. He sat through the conference without saying a word, and listened to Tojo an nounce his plan to declare the Philip pines independent before the end of 1943. After the speech of Tojo, there was to be a tea party from which Roxas re quested to be excused, alleging illness. Tojo told him that he was sorry Roxas was in poor health, and because the Phil ippines needed his services very badly, he was very much interested that he re gain his health and advised him that he would send his personal physician from Tokyo to treat him. Roxas thanked him for his concern and left under guard. Ten days later, three doctors came from Japan to treat him. They stayed for three weeks and visited Roxas every day. They reported to the military author ities that he was not suffering from any serious ailment except from hyperten sion and that, with proper care, he would be ready to work in a month or two. S OMETIME in July or August, 1943, Roxas . was appointed to the Pre paratory Commission for Independence by the chief of the Japanese military ad ministration. He immediately sought a conference with Watsi and informed him that his health would not allow him to work in that the body. Watsi replied that the commission would merely draft a constitution for the “Republic,” which would be submitted to the people for ratification. Watsi went so far as to say that it would not be necessary for Roxas to work because all the Japanese wanted was that Roxas* name appear on the list. Roxas did not attend the first meet ings of the commission. However, he was in touch with two or three members who kept him informed of developments. When he saw the first draft of the con stitution he realized the importance of preventing its adoption because in the preamble the Philippine “Republic” was considered a part of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere and subject to Japan’s domination. The draft was without a Bill of Rights and was far from creating a republican state. At first, he tried to change these provisions through some members of the commis sion but he soon realized that to make certain the defeat of this draft he had personally to take an active part in the deliberations of that body. He took the view that since there was no way of preventing the adoption of a constitution, as the Japanese had already decided that this be done, the best the Filipinos could do was to approve a con stitution that would at least be in keep ing with their democratic ideals and which would not commit the “Republic" in favor of Japan or the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. He there fore suggested that a subcommittee be appointed to revise the draft, believing that he could influence more easily the work of the sub-committee. The sub committee, meeting in his house, drafted the constitution, eliminating all mention of Japan and the Greater East Asia Co Prosperity Sphere, inserting a Bill of Rights, and setting up a government WAS ROXAS A COLLABORATOR? 49 republican in form. As redrafted it was little more than a paraphrase of the U. S. and the Philippine Constitu tions, with such modifications as were absolutely necessary to adapt it to the prevailing circumstances. There is not a word of disloyalty to America or al legiance to Japan in that constitution. This is the only participation that he had in the establishment of the "Repub lic.” When the time came to elect the members of the Assembly, he invariably advised his friends not to seek election to that body. Among these men were Congressman Primicias from Pangasinan and Mr. Felipe Buencamino from Nueva Ecija who followed his advice. After the constitution was adopted Roxa6 was asked by Watsi if he would consent to become President of the “Republic.” He firmly declined alleging ill health and indicating, as Watsi knew, that he had been opposed to independ ence at that time. Moreover, Roxas said that it would not be advisable for the Japanese to favor a man in his position for the presidency, for it would mean placing their reliance on a prisoner of war, one who could be accused of chang ing his allegiance for personal considera tion or through cowardice. He told Watsi that even if the Filipinos were for independence, they would not look with favor upon his selection as presi dent Though the offer was repeated, he consistently refused. After Laurel was elected president he informed Roxas that the Japanese de sired his appointment to the Cabinet. Roxas pleaded with him not to yield to this request, telling him frankly of his determination not to deviate from his loyalty to the United States. Laurel, convinced of his sincerity and under standing his position well, promised to do his best to save Roxas from that predic ament and formed the cabinet without Roxas. When later the food situation in Manila became very acute, rationing of rice was stopped for a few days and the government agency for the distribution of rice found all its stock exhausted. The reason was that the government had fixed a maximum price for rice but could . not procure the cereal becanse the Jap anese Army and Navy sponsored compa nies were competing with the govern ment agency in the purchase of rice, of fering prices much higher than the price fixed by the government. Knowing that Roxas had been in charge of the rice procurement and dis tribution activity of the Commonwealth before the war, Laurel appealed to him to help save the people from starvation. He assured Roxas that he wanted him to serve only in this emergency, stating that if he did he would be serving the Filipinos and not the Japanese. After consulting a few of his friends, including General Lim, who unanimously advised him to accept the post, he told Laurel that he would help formulate plans for rice procurement but only in a private advisory capacity. Laurel, however, moved by the seriousness of the situa tion, told Roxas that nobody but he could solve the problem and that if he persisted in his refusal, he would pub licly state that Roxas had declined to help save the people from starvation. Laurel’s attitude convinced Roxas that he could no longer refuse the request without laying himself open to the ac cusation that he had failed his people in their hour of need. And so Roxas was appointed Chairman of the Economic Planning Board in charge of food pro curement and distribution and more par ticularly of the BIBA (Bigasang Bayan). Roxas immediately appealed to Fi lipino rice producers to sell their rice to the government at official prices rather than at higher prices to the Jap anese authorities. In this manner, the BIBA was able to obtain sufficient stocks to continue rationing rice in Manila until the next harvest. Not a 50 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN single grain of rice procured by the BIBA under his direction was ever given to the Japanese army. He succeeded in preventing this with the support of Laurel. The only speech that Roxas delivered during the Japanese occupation was when he publicly gave his word of honor that not a single grain of rice sold to the BIBA would be given to the Japanese. The Japanese army resented this state ment and did everything in their power to counteract his activities because they were themselves suffering from rice shortage. One incident is worthy of mention. Under his direction the BIBA was able to buy approximately 3,000 bags of mongo beans for distribution in Manila. The Japanese navy, also trying to buy mongo, was unsuccessful because the producers were giving him full coopera tion. When the Navy heard of the BIBA’s mongo stock they sent their of ficers to get 300 bags of it. Roxas in structed the manager of the BIBA to refuse their request, telling them that to obtain anything from the government they must submit their request to the President; that the BIBA was not auth orized to deal directly with them. They submitted their petition to a secretary to the President, and the latter, without the President’s knowledge, ordered the BI BA to surrender the 300 sacks. Upon re ceipt of this order, the manager deli vered to them 100 sacks unbeknown to Roxas. When Roxas learned of it, he stopped the delivery of the remainder and threatened to resign if this practice continued. Laurel supported him and prohibited the delivery of any more mon go or rice to the Japanese. In view of this and other inci dents, the military authorities finally de cided that they did not want Roxas to remain in the BIBA. They, therefore, proposed the reorganization of the com pany, which was effected immediately. The BIBA was abolished and the RICOA established in its place. Upon the organization of the RICOA he severed his connections entirely with the rice procurement agency. EaRLY in January, 1944, without having been consulted, Roxas was ap pointed ex-officio member of the Cabinet as Chairman of the Economic Planning Board. He was told by Laurel that he made the appointment on the insistent demand of the Japanese military author ities. Roxas can say truthfully that he has not attended a single meeting of the Cabinet; that he has not collected any salary from the government either as member of the Cabinet or as Chairman of the Economic Planning Board. He can state further that when the Military Administration gave a P10,000-bonus to each member of the Independence Pre paratory Commission for their services he refused, despite repeated urgings by the military administration, to cash the check, and has never collected it. Neith er did he collect the P2,000 which the Philippine government gave each member of the Preparatory Commission for cleric al personnel and for transportation. On December 23, 1944, he was notified by Laurel that the military authorities had ordered the President, all Cabinet members, and other important officials, including himself, to evacuate to Baguio. Acting on this order, Roxas left for Baguio with his family, living in a pri vate house guarded by the military police up to April 13, 1945. Before that time he had made many attempts to escape from Baguio but, because of the illness of his wife, he could not make good his escape. Late in March, the Japanese Supreme War Council instructed Laurel to proceed to Japan with his Cabinet. Roxas told Laurel that he did not want to go. Laurel told him that the Japan ese had particularly insisted on his go ing, believing that he was a dangerous man to leave behind. He asked Laurel to tell the Japanese that he could not go WAS ROXAS A COLLABORATOR? 51 that time but that he might go later on, hie intention being to leave Baguio as soon as possible to prevent the Japanese from forcibly taking him to Japan. Roxas made arrangements to cross the Japanese lines after Laurel left. He took his family with him after evading the Japanese guards and made the trip on foot from Baguio ±o Tubao,.La Union, which took three days. Upon arrival at Tubao he reported to the American com mander there. On the same day, he sent a radio to General MacArthur reporting for duty. Roxas was called by him to Manila for a conference. General MacArthur auth orized him to wprk on his staff and he was assigned t<rG-2 of GHQ. He worked in this section for two months until the Congress of the Philippines was convened, when he asked to be inactivated in order to take his seat in the Senate. Roxas had no part in the declaration of war made by Laurel, except that Lau rel told him that, in view of the peremp tory order of the Supreme War Council of Japan, he (Laurel) had no other al ternative but to make the declaration. Roxas pleaded with him not to do it, and Laurel promised that he would not, un less* the Japanese army should definitely insist. Roxas told Laurel that in that event he should at least reiterate his determination not to organize an army to help the Japanese. Roxas also urged him not to submit his war declaration to the Legislative Assembly for ratification as provided by the constitution to make it valid. Laurel agreed he would act in accordance with the suggestions of Roxas in these matters. F OR two or three months after his arrival from Davao, in late 1942, Roxas had been unable to contact the leaders of the Resistance Bince he was very closely guarded. Upon being al lowed to leave the house and receive vi sitors, however, he began contacting the Underground. He formed a group in Manila that was to become the center of espionage activi ties in this area. This group was first composed of General Vicente Lim, Col onel Jose Ozamiz, Mr. Enrico Pirovano, Mr. Juan Elizalde, Mr. Manuel Elizalde, Colonel Pastor Martelino, Colonel Man zano, and Colonel Jose Razon. Through this group he was able to contact SWPA first through Commander "Chick" Parsons in Mindanao and later through Major Philips and Commander Rowe in Mindoro. Colonel Ozamiz was in charge of maintaining contact with Mindanao and Mindoro. He made a trip to Min danao for this purpose and personally contacted Commander Parsons and Col onel Fertig. Mr. Pirovano was in charge of organizing a unit to watch troop and supply movements in Manila with special attention to ship arrivals and departures at this port. Some of Roxas’ agents, particularly Captain Manosa, were able to obtain employment as harbor pilots in Manila and, through these people, he secured accurate information on ship ar rivals and departures. All this inform ation was sent to Mindanao and Mindoro. General Lim was designated by Roxas to take charge of the Fil-American guer rillas that were left without a leader upon the capture and death of Colonel Straughn. Colonel Manzano was as signed by him to make plans of all Jap anese airfields in Luzon, together with Japanese defense installations around those airfields. After gathering this in formation he left Manila in an attempt to proceed to Australia. Colonel Marte lino was asigned by Roxas to watch coastal defense installations, with special reference to Corregidor. Mr. Juan Elizalde was in charge of providing monetary assistance to the Santo Tomas and the Cabanatuan internment camps, as well as obtaining information con cerning conditions there. Colonel Razon was Roxas’ general utility man, carry ing his messages to different groups, and THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN assisting Colonel Ozamiz in transmitting code messages to Mindanao and Mindoro. To provide Luzon guerrillas with funds for their activities and to support his own espionage organization, Roxas raised more than P5,000,000 from volun tary contributions given by his intimate friends. Among these were Messrs. Juan Elizalde, Manuel Elizalde, Enrico Pirovano, Hans Menzi, Jose Fernandez, Jr., and K. H. Hemady. These funds were distributed under his direction to different units. When President Quezon in Washing ton sent Roxas a special courier by sub marine around September, 1943, he was able to contact that man with the assist ance of Colonel Razon. At his suggest ion the messenger contacted also Mr. Rafael Alunan and Mr. Jose Yulo. Through him Roxas gave President Quezon a detailed account of conditions in the Philippines and reported to him the unswerving loyalty of the people to the United States and to the Common wealth Government. SoME persons have expressed sur prise that, despite the fact that the Japanese had definite information of the underground activities of Roxas, they had refrained from arresting and liqui dating him. Only two possibilities can be given in explanation. The first was his close friendship of Laurel. It may be presumed that Laurel did everything within his power to prevent the Japanese from taking any action against him. The second reason may be gathered from the explanation given Mr. Kano in an inter view he had with a newspaperman fol lowing his capture in Siniloan, Laguna, which was published in the Philippine Press on September 17, 1945. Mr. Kano was the liaison officer between the mi litary administration and Malacanan, and he was well informed of the opinion which the Japanese Army entertained towards Roxas as well as of the im mense- popularity which Roxas enjoyed among the people. Kano stated that the Japanese had always regarded Roxas as their enemy and wanted him killed. They had, how ever, refrained from taking action against him for fear that if they arrested and executed him the guerrilla move ment would become even more serious. As a matter of fact, Colonel Nagahama once stated to a group of prominent Fi lipinos that he himself would take care of Roxas and shoot him with his own hands, because he had convincing evi dence that Roxas was really the head of the guerrillas in the Philippines. One of the greatest services that Roxas believes he has rendered to the Allied cause is the information that he sent through two guerrilla transmitting sta tions shortly before the great naval bat tle off Leyte which occurred in October 1944. Several days before that battle occurred he had sent to SWPA the in formation that the Japanese were going to counter-attack the U. S. beachhead in Leyte in what was going to be a deci sive action, adding that it would take place shortly after October 20th. He obtained this information from a conver sation that he overheard between Am bassador Murata and Laurel, wherein Murata said that he had received the information directly from the headquarters of the Japanese High Command. Roxas sent the information through Ma jor Hans Menzi in Batangas and also through Captain Jose Ma. Guerrero, who was his liaison officer with the ROTC (Hunters) guerrillas. He learned later that the information was relayed to SWPA through their transmitting sta tions in these areas. Another American officer who can testify as to his conduct during the occupation is Colonel Folsom, who was in Manila for almost two years during the occupation as head of a unit of the Fil-American guerrillas. Roxas did everything he could to safeguard the lives of Americans in the Philippines and at least in one instance he prevent ed the capture of a very important guer rilla leader, Major Ramsey. WAS ROXAS A COLLABORATOR? 63 To SUMMARIZE: Roxas did not in anyway collaborate with the Japan ese, did not give them aid or comfort or sustenance in any form whatsoever. On the contrary, he did everything with in his power and with the means at his command to aid and strengthen the re sistance movement throughout the Phil ippines. He appeals to the testimony of all the active guerrilla leaders through out the Philippines and, likewise, to the testimony of American army officers in cluding General MacArthur, General Wainwright, and General Sharp under whom he served during the first days of the war. He cites as witnesses the Americans who were interned here by the Japanese, especially those who, like F. Theo Rogers, Sam Gaches, and others, were in the General Hospital for a time, and were properly informed of what was happening in the country. These men knew, as did Filipinos everywhere, that Roxas was the rallying-point around whom gathered the resistance move ment against the enemy, to whom an oppressed people looked for inspiration as they secretly nursed within their hearts the hope of ultimate redemption and victory. nt STUDIO Takes Pictures Day & Night with Special Service for Servicemen Finished in 2 Hours Marina Singson 324 Bustos, Sta. Cruz OWNER “Portillo’s™"" QUALITY HATS “The Beat In Town” Manufacturer-Exporter 881 Rizal Avenue Manila Wanted agencies all over the Philippines. Merry X’inas from ESCOLTA PERFUMERY and NOVELTY STORE 37 Escolta RAY: Moonstruck —A Story YOU have not heard of my Ray? I will tell you. Before the war I wrote two stories on Ray. Ray: A Duck Story and Ray: Superman. In one, Ray planted a duck’s feather which laid eggs and in the other Ray flew like Su perman. When he did those things Ray was four. He is almost nine now. He did them with nothing up his sleeves what soever and with nothing but a child’s heart and a child’s faith. Along about the time these things hap pened Ray was beginning to learn to read and write. I think I have told you how he learned to write his name: RA and then the Y which he wrote bottom up. I called his attention to it. I said: Write a V and then put a tail to it, this way. I showed him. You remember he said: Okay, Daddy, and then wrote the RA and, inverting the paper, wrote the Y the same way he did it at first: an inverted V with a top tail. And also I told you about the banana. This about the banana is now a classic in its own right. Remember how once my wife bought a bunch of bananas which, though they were only of the totondan variety, tasted like lacatan? And how Ray, sampling one banana ex claimed: Not iacatan nor latondan — they are tocatondanl And then Ray planted the feather and in about two weeks’ time the fea ther laid how many eggs I have forgot ten. My friends still are asking me how I did it, for they seem to think that I pulled a fast one on Ray and the wife and the readers. I tell you now I had nothing at all to do with the eggs. Ray by C. V. Pedroche believes it, I believe it, and as for the wife, she has her suspicions even to this day. But she is only a woman and she can never hope to have Ray’s wonderful luminosity of heart and pureness of spirit. My being a child despite my years has been my little woman’s despair. She thinks it’s high time I grew up. She’s a practical woman and a good wife but that is about all. How about the king dom of heaven, I often ask her. How does she suppose she can inherit that rich and shining place if she does not remain a child at least in heart? I am a mother now, she would say. I have no time for your childish fooling. But one night I was playing with Ray on the stairs under the mango tree. There was a big yellow moon above. It was December. We were playing Moon, Moon... You say, Moon, moon — and make a wish. Only in this game the usual first wish is for a bolo. Ip the vernacular it runs into a sort of poem which rhymes imperfectly if at all. Moon, moon, you say, please send me a bolo and the moon answers what do you want a bolo for and you say you want to build a granary and the moon asks you what you want a granary for and you say to store grains in and the moon finally asks what for and you say to give to beggars. Something like that. And that night I said, Ray, let’s you and me play Moon, moon. Let’s, Ray said. So he intoned the rhyme to the moon. Suddenly a bolo dropped seemingly from nowhere at the foot of the concrete stairway. When I looked up I saw the 64 RAY: MOONSTRUCK 55 dusky face of Vito, the maid, slinking into the dark of the unlighted room up stairs. I could hear her muffled giggle. Vito, despite everything, also had the heart of a child and she was often help ful that way. Look, I said, what do I see near your feet, Ray? A bolo to be sure, he said. Did the moon really give me the bolo? Sure, I said, didn't you ask for it? If I ask for money, do you suppose he will give me? I suppose so, I said. So Ray began: Moon, moon, please give me a thousand pesos. No, Ray, I said; that’s a little too much. And besides the moon is prob ably not so rich and if he gives you a thousand pesos it might make him sick for a long time. You don’t want that to happen, do you? Well, then, Ray said, how about one peso? That also is too much. Ask for twenty centavos. (It was all I had at the mo ment and I knew Vito knew where to find it under a vase atop the piano. I said thpt aloud for her to hear.) Ask for a peseta, I said. That is easier to give. Okay, said Ray. Moon, moon, please give me a peseta. The silver piece dropped rolling from above with a tinkling sound which went well with the cool moon—kling, kling, kling in the December night—which con trasted with Vito’s choking giggle from the window. Daddy, Ray exclaimed, a twenty centavo piece I Right, I said. The moon is kind to night. Ordinarily he won’t give you more than a shining wink. Here the little woman went down to join us. Crazy, she said to me. Why fool the child? Hush, woman, I said, don’t you see we are playing Moon, moon? Listen, she said, you are an old man with two children. I should think it is time you grew up. I refuse, I said, to grow up. I want to remain a child always. Ray could not, of course, follow this talk. He was contemplating with wideeyed wonderment the silver piece shin ing in his palm. And very soon he was addressing the moon again: Moon, moon, please give me a pair of shoes. The moon was quick to respond. Pluck I the shoes fell at the foot of Ray. The wife could not help laughing now. She pinched me on the side and nearly split her sides with laughter. Ray looked at his shoes. Daddy, he said, they look like my old pair. Loko! said the wife, so they are. Don’t believe your Daddy. He is a fool like you. Listen, I said in mock anger, who is a fool did you say? The two of you, she said. Ray, I said, your mother thinks we are a couple of fools. Don’t listen to her. But these are my old shoes, Ray said. Don’t take that against the moon, I said. Ask for something else now. And suddenly Ray said: Moon, moon, please give me a bicycle—a new red bicy cle with three wheels! Listen, Ray, I said, mind what you are saying. Whoever heard of a bicycle with three wheels? The moon may not like it—the way you said it, I mean. But I want a bicycle with three wheels, Ray insisted. Okay, I said, but see if the moon will pay any attention to you. The moon, you know, is a stickler for correct usage and all that. I did not suggest a tricyle at once be cause I knew there was none in the house for Vito to throw out of the window. So THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN I tried to dissuade Ray but he insisted he wanted a bicycle with three wheels. The wife, by now, gave up and stood to go. Let me see you squirm out of that one, she said. If you produce the bicycle, call me down. I might want to take a ride on it myself. Listen, wife, I said, don’t go now. Please don’t leave me alone with Ray. I can’t stay alone and bear to see him dis appointed. That’s your own headache, she said yawning. I am going to bed now. Meanwhile, Ray was still pleading with the moon to give him a bicycle with three wheels. Now, listen, Ray, I said, it’s not Christmas yet. Won’t you wait until Christmas? Maybe the moon has no bicycle just now. Old Santa is not due to see him until Christmas eve, you know. I want a bicycle with three wheels now, Ray said. And besides, there are no bicycles with three wheels, I said. How about Berting’s? he said. It has three wheels. You mean a tricyle, I said, unable to bear it any more. Yes, then, Ray said, a tricycle. 0 Moon, please, I want a red tricycle like Berting’s. It’s getting late now, Ray, I said gently. Let's play again tomorrow. Meanwhile Vito was splitting her sides up and down the house, unable now to suppress her laughter. Good Lord, she said, how shall we give him a tricycle now? Ray, I said, it’s getting chilly. Let’s you and me go up now and I’ll tell you the story of the big bear and the little bear. You have told me that three times al ready, Ray said, and besides, I want a bicy—I mean a tricycle now. J. KNEW how it was with Ray. I realized in that moment that the wife was right. I was a fool—a crazy old fool. I was going to pay for being a big crazy old fool now and the price was Ray’s disenchantment. I did not want that to happen to Ray—anything but that, for Ray’s fairyland was a rare and precious world which, once lost, could never again be rediscovered—ex cept perhaps in senility. Okay, I was crazy and a fool—but in that moment of desperation I caught my self praying in my heart for God not to fail him now, please Lord, send him a tricyle somehow. How He was going to do it I did not know. I knew it was pretty hopeless and my prayer was merely a thought and it came to me when I stood up to take Ray by the hand into the house. It was a still night and bright. The smell of Christmas was in the air. Ray, I said, it’s time we go up. But Ray stood there in silence under the moon, his eyes bright and his face shining with expectancy. His hand raised in pleading to the moon was soft and cool and his lips were still mumbling the words: Moon, moon, dear moon, please send me a tricycle... When I stood up to take his hand I felt a tenseness come to his fingers and his face broke in sudden wonder and from his young throat there issued a wild cry of triumph: Daddy, Daddy, look, a tricycle! There was a rustle of leaves in the mango branches, a sudden breaking of the stillness of the moonlit night. When I looked up I saw the red shining tri cycle dangling from a branch of the mango tree. Ray is nine now and has outgrown the rusty tricycle, but then there is Dan af ter him and Joel after Dan—two husky boys who won’t ever let the grass grow under the bicycle with three wheels. m The Blessing of the Atomic Rocket —A Fantasy by Jack Silver A HUSH fell over the assembly hall as the Chairman of the World League rose to make his report. His voice was terse, matter-of-fact. “You all know,” he addressed the de legates of all the nations of the world, "why we have convened today. It is because after the invention of atomic weapons, humanity has failed to control their power and utilize it in the inter est of peace and progress, but instead has harnessed it to the same sinister purpose for which science has been used throughout the centuries—WAR; it is because all world societies and leagues, such as ours, have failed; it is, ladies and gentlemen, because humanity itself has failed. “In this Year of Our Lord, 1985, only forty years after the first atomic bomb was invented, we have come to realize that because the peoples of the world could not, or would not, work together and lose that distrust which, in the last forty years more than ever, has become the source of wars, there is only one blessing that we can bestow upon the inhabitants of this planet, and that is, to wipe them out once and for all. “It is true that some of the nations represented here have tried to bring about a better understanding among the peoples by directing man’s interests to ward a philosophy of life which would make men build together, one with the other, rather than one against the other. But since the other nations have main tained that either each and every one of us should go under—another Deluge —or that we should continue as before, the innocent have agreed to perish with the others. Does not in every revolu tionary change the innocent suffer with the culprit? “The Executive Committee, ladies and gentlemen, has now completed the sur vey of the means at our disposal to attain that end. It is possible, at this time, to cover all land on earth with atomic rockets. “Two months from today at a given moment which will be 12 o’clock noon at Greenwich, England, atomic rockets will be hurled from key-points to designated areas, atomic rockets which will kill everything alive in this world, all in one moment.” The Chairman pointed at the huge globe on the dais. It was covered with a network of fine lines, dividing and sub dividing the earth into equal parts. "The subdivision of the globe,” the chairman resumed, “has been done in a way which assures complete coverage. No spot will be left out. We have taken the radius of action of our largest atomic rockets, and subdivided the earth into squares, each one large enough so that its corner would touch the circle formed by the periphery of the sphere of demo lition. In this way,” and a grim smile played about the speaker’s lips, “while there will be an overlap of demolition, we are sure that no place will be left out. "Now you might ask me, ladies and gentlemen, how we shall prevent any combination to save some spots of the world from destruction. We have ar ranged that each area will be atomized by three rockets coming from different key-points. Thus, each key-point will at one and the same time launch three 67 58 THE PHIL1PPINE-AMERICAN rockets in different directions. In this way, there can be no chance for any combination to spare a particular area of the globe.” There was some commotion in the as sembly as the delegate from Brazil de manded that he be heard. “How shall we prevent,” he asked, "individual groups from escaping destruction by fleeing to the high seas or into the air?” The Chairman replied courteously. “We have two months to go. The In ternational Police Force, although un able to prevent wars, will certainly be adequate to the task of clearing up the oceans. No one will be on the seas when the time comes. And all planes will be destroyed. “And now, ladies and gentlemen, are there any other questions or objections? Otherwise, the plan is unanimously ac cepted.” Not a single hand was raised, and Weltsclimcrz was reborn. The delegates returned to their re spective countries. Preparations for the final destruction of humanity were be gun and the general announcement was made to the people. Police were held in readiness for any eventuality. But a strange thing happened. The people of 1985, knowing they had only two more months to live and knowing they would be wiped out from the face of the earth as by the sweep of a heavy hand, mercifully, painlessly, and all at the same time, were not afraid. Instead of trying to hide, they came to the cities; instead of seeking refuge on the high seas, ships soon took their courses homeward. Many thought of death as the end to all their troubles, and others believed that they would be reborn into a better world. There were the rich who hereto fore had been afraid of losing their pos sessions, who had been carrying weapons with them because they were afraid of attacks by their jealous neighbors. These wealthy men had now lost their fear because nobody craved their money. The acquisitive society had broken down, its values upset. The poor, the eternal “hunted man” of history, had for the first time ceased to be hunted, and in exchange, had not even been forced to hunt. The pious gave away their fortunes. Knowing that soon they would face their Maker, they wanted to do a good deed before they died, and anyway, they could not take it with them. Those mo ney bills, craved by so many millions, which had enslaved nations and indivi duals alike, floated down into the streets from skyscrapers or were thrown from cars passing through lowly villages and were pounced upon violently. And the rich were satisfied. They whose worry had been how to invest the money they could not spend and who had looked to the State to protect their inte rests, found their worries gone. In the beginning, the poor who had picked up money where they could grab it, spent that money lavishly, buying jewelry, food in abundance, and seeking entertainment, things which they had never been able to afford before. Gra dually, as people stopped working, life stood still. And yet, man was contented, preparing for the zero hour. •. There were those who, as the fatal day came nearer, began to believe that humanity could have been spared. One of the leading industrialists of the United States said that perdition would have been unnecessary if the old, worn-out moral values had been discarded and new ones been accepted in their stead. But while many listened, it was too late. The zero hour came, and then the rockets struck. The destruction wrought by the ato mic rockets was complete. Less than a minute after they had been launched, life ceased on earth. Cities lay in rubble even worse than after the several world wars of the 20th century. Plants died along with man and beast. Continents THE BLESSING OF THE ATOMIC ROCKET 59 were cleft in several parts. Fumes en veloped the globe. Everything was dead at last. Or was it? Could it be possible that any living creature survived the catastrophe? Yes, strange as it may seem, there were a few that were still alive. A handful who, by a freak of fate, had been spared. When they found themselves alive, dazed, wounded, their instinctive desire to sur vive drove them toward the coast in an effort to escape the deadly fumes which were hourly claiming more and more of their number. And when they came to the sea, they saw that they were alone. And with loneliness there came the longing for hu man companionship. With loneliness there came the unconscious understand ing that human beings are alike, basical ly, no matter if they are tall or short, clad or naked, black or white. So the few men and women left alive after the fumes had cleared away, set out to find companions. Somehow, they managed to build rafts or boats, and started roaming the seas as their ances tors had done thousands of years before, but not to conquer new lands or to trade, but to find brother human beings with whom a new, and a better, world could be built up. And slowly, in the years after 1986, isolated groups found each other. Two black men on a raft came to a place where a few white men had built their camp. And they continued their search together. They found, after another year’s quest, some Malay men and wo men, and after some more months, hit upon a handful of Indians. By 1990, the group had increased to about one hun dred. That was all that had been left alive on earth. And these one hundred men and wo men, some of them white, others black, some yellow, others red, and a few brown, these hundred suddenly decided that the time had come to settle down again. They did not know where they were, could not recognize the land they were standing on, but it did not matter. It belonged to all of them equally. They did not choose a leader or a king. Longing for a chance to find self-expres sion, they set out upon the building of a new world. They worked, each one for himself, their work serving the common benefit. When the 21st century finally came, this group of many races had melted into one single race, had managed to build out of the ruins a living, organic miniature of the Federation of the World. m _ GREETINGS —— — EL CCMEPCIC PEL PAIS General Merchant Dealers In School & Office Supplies. Stationery, Glasswaro & I^dicsware 1417 Rizal Avenue Federico Dizon Andres Notary Public Attorney-at-Law ------- 308 Espana Manila-------oo THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN mmmmDELIA Manila Hotel Fashion Show Winner and "BOB’S" picked Miss "PHOTO-GLAMOUR" BayB— "For my choice photographs. I always insist on BOB S." * * • GLORIFY THAT GLAMOUR » ‘ * through "BOB'S" BOB RAZON, Gen. Myr. 881-B Rizal Avenue YOU CAN GET THE MOST FOR YOUR MONEY BY — Doing your Christmas shopping at the TIGER DEPARTMENT STORE 435 Rizal Avenue Our Specialty: American Shoes for Men and Ladice Christmas Greetings from Your Tailor J. DELURIA’S FASHION For Elegance and Comfort 1092 R. Hidalgo, Qulapo The Bells Peal Again —A Story FROM where he stood on the shoulder of the hill he could see through the December mist of the morning the layout of the town stretching snugly in the valley. He was tired and hungry. All night long he had trudged through the mountain fastness. In spite of the cold he was wet with perspiration. He lay down on the grass to rest and per haps to have a nap until the sun showed up. It felt fine to relax thus with the soft grass under his back and the volup tuous ache of his muscles became now rather a pleasant sensation to him. He was at last about to lapse into sleep when he heard the distant pealing of bells. For a moment he thought he was dreaming; it had been nearly three years since last he heard the sound of bells. Strange that all this time he never thought nor dreamed of bells ringing, and row that he actually heard them the sound bore for him a sort of childish fascination. He opened his eyes and listened, inert, his hand upon his forehead, and as he lay there listening he remembered the time of his younger days when his mother used to hustle him off to church on Sundays at the sound of bells. Come to think of it, he thought, those were happy days. He did not wish to remember more things about his youth because somewhere in the past there was a wound it hurt him to touch. He pulled himself up with a start. Now the sun was up and the mist had gone and he could see the wakeful activities of the town. He could see the people moving like ants along the by D. Paulo Dr^on road, in the fields, crawling as it were from their hovels, sad-looking make shift affairs made out of scraps salvag ed from the ruins. The church was not where it used to be and he won dered where the bells were ringing from. The town itself seemed like the aftermath of a horrible nightmare. Now, he thought, what did I want to come back for? What made me decide to come down here? No, he thought, no. I’ll stay up in the wilderness after all. That’s where I belong. The town is not what it used to be. Look at the houses, he thought, look at the people that live in them, how sad they look. His mother, his father, his bro ther, his younger sister—something had been done to them, all on account cf his having gone away to the mountains. And now the ruins of the town seemed to point to him with a guilty finger, as if he were to blame. In a way, yes, he was to blame. He was to blame for what happened to his people. He knew that. They had been held as hostages, his companions had told him, and that was many months ago. He turned his back to the town and made shift to retrace his steps to the wilderness. He had made a clearing there and had built himself a hut and had planted things and had grown to like it there, living the way he did for almost three years. But the bells pealed again and ne could not resist their sound; it was as if their tolling was a call for him to come down, as if it was for his return 61 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN they pealed and pealed. He stopped short and listened. He was fascinated. And now as he stood there listening he remembered himself as a kid steal ing into the belfry to see the bells, how they looked like, how they made such a wonderful sound which could be heard all over the land. They hung up there in the tower and they had a beautiful shape. His hands itched to pull at the ropes to make them ring. He looked around and he saw that nobody was there and his hands flew to the ropes and tugged at them with all his might and a loud melody of ringing boomed and reverberated inside the tower. It scared him, and he ran out. Outside he could still hear the melody of ringing bells trailing away into silence. This he remembered and other things also. There was the time when the bells were rung to announce the baptism of his younger brother. How gaily the bells rang then. They seemed to sing in their ringing the name that was given his brother. And there was the ringing of bells at twilight. He remem bered how holy the sound of the bells was at such a melancholy hour, and how he felt, and the prayers he recited then. BEFORE he knew it he was walking down the hill toward the town. The people who saw him first did not re cognize him. His hair crept frowzily down the nape of his neck covering part of his ears, and his beard was a scandal in a town that had again learned to shave. The children crowded about him and looked at him with wonder. He walked on and on. He wanted to hear more of the bells, but fbr the moment they had stopped ringing. He wanted to go where the bells were hung. He wanted to pull at the ropes again. After that he would go back where he had come from. In front of an improvised store a group of men saw him and immediate ly recognized him, whereupon they stood up and rushed to him and greeted him warmly. They were his former comlradete in the mountain fastnesses. Now that they had come down they meant to stay and live in the town, among their folks, among people, and feel, as they put it, civilized once more. Why, they said, putting their arms about his shoulder, tapping him on the back, Why, Marcos, you’ve come down at lastI We knew you’d come down even tually. We have been waiting for you. Welcome home, Comrade. Merry Christmas, soldier. Merry Christmas, Marcos. Christmas? Marcos said. Christmas? Yes, it’s Christmas. Peace on earth. Goodwill towards men. Welcome home, Marcos. t I heard the bells ringing, he said. I wondered when I heard them last. I want to hear them ring. Afterward I am going back. Back? Back where? Home. Home, Marcos 6aid. His comrades looked at each other in bewilderment. They could not under stand. They did not understand either when he stayed behind. Surely,«.they thought, what happened to his folks was no reason for him to stay behind. Were not some of their relatives and dear ones taken as hostages also? But they had come back just the same. Now it seemed that nothing had hap pened. They were living again the normal lives of men. Where are the bells? Marcos asked of his friends. I want to hear them ringing. They took him to the improvised chapel. He saw the bells. There was a mass being said and soon the bells pealed again. They pealed again, joy ously, and the crowd streamed out and dispersed in the yard, into the street, greeting each other. THE BELLS PEAL AGAIN 63 Merry Christmas, they said to each other. I don’t see why you want to go back up there, said one of his friends. I don’t see why you can’t stay here in town. After all, the bullies have been driven away and there is no more fear. Here there is much conversation, there is peace. And there are bells, added another. The bells ring every morning. They ring for peace. Peace? Marcos said. Peace? Yes, brother, peace. The war has ended. We are free men and women again. Aren’t you glad? How about those who died? They, too, are at peace. They know no trouble any more . . . But they died in trouble. They did hot die in peace. How can they rest in peace? Marcos said. Let’s not talk about that anymore, another of his friends said. They died for peace, that’s all. Why can’t we live what they died for? It was given us to survive the trouble, and we must carry Please show me where our house used to stand. I have lost track of every thing in this town. Come and live with me and my folks, Marcos. As long as you wish to stay with us, it is all right with me. Come. You can come with me, another said. Let us all go to my house first, an other said. My son will be baptised at noon. They took the last one to come down from the mountain to the town barber and had him spruced up to look like one of them, one of the men in the town. CKEATOK$~b|$Tin(TIVE UHILLO •mODfKn PHOTOGRAPH Yr1 Day and Night Service 1052 Rizal Ave. Manila 64 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN On the Other Hand AN American friend told me the other day: You have expressed the griev ances of your people. You have de fended them against unjust criticism, justly and effectively. But it can’t be that your people are right all the time. It can’t be that they are wholly beyond censure in their thoughts and actions. What have you to say? Touchy, my friend, I said. You’re quite right. Whenever I have tried to say that our people aren’t really as bad as they are sometimes painted, it has never been my purpose to imply that they are perfect. A great many of them are thinking a lot of things that are wrong, and many more are doing a lot of other things that are evil. For instance, I said, I have used the argument that one should not expect a people so badly ravaged by the war like the Filipinos to be on their Sunday school behaviour. They are suffering from what Mr. A. V. H. Hartendorp has well described as “the severe trauma’’ of the war and the occupation. They have been bewildered and shocked and are not quite themselves. Let us re member this whenever we are tempted to sit in judgment over them as a people. Perhaps, I did give the impression that I was trying to gloss over the weak nesses of the Filipino character, the flaws in the pattern of Philippine life. We have our faults, and God forbid that any Filipino should be blind to the sins of his people that cry for correction and atonement! Shall we name some of them? There is the awareness of having suffered much which is rapidly degenerating into a morbid sense of self-pity. The bewil derment, which should be a passing con dition, is fast developing into a state of permanent coma. We are using our helplessness, which should be temporary, as an excuse for remaining permanently helpless. Help! help! we cry, but we do little or nothing to help ourselves. Everybody wants to live again the way he used to live before the war. Oh, for the good old days when the Big Shots were on top of the world and the lowly workers and peasants were a bunch of meek and well-behaved peons! It doesn’t seem to occur to him that those days are gone forever, that it is the task of this generation to fashion a freer and better life for our people. He wants to forget the intervening period of war as if it was merely a bad night mare, to wake up relieved and bright in the morning—as if nothing had hap pened in the night. Well, something did happen in the night, and the sooner we realize it, the better we shall be able to meet the problems of the day that is already here. And, perhaps, it should be added that while our people did endure much, their suffering was not sufficiently ennobled by the spirit of sacrifice. The first phase of the war ended too quickly for that. There was not enough time to mellow the warm and generous senti ments which sprang in the hearts of the people that morning of December 8, 1941, and blossomed into bright courage and whole-souled devotion in the days that followed. Defeat and demoraliza tion set in too soon like a chill after the mighty surge of patriotic fever. Consequently, the suffering that ensued 65 66 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN was a great deal meaningless to many, for it was suffering amid a condition of utter abandonment and defeat, suf fering that was but little sustained by some hidden spring of hope and a tenuous promise of redemption. All this would seem to explain the lassitude that you see everywhere, the supplicant waiting for salvation to come from somewhere across the ocean, the hy pochondriac conviction of helplessness, the craven distrust of independence... Shall we mention others? The col lapse of moral values? The passion for easy money and disdain of productive enterprise? The scandalous bungling and dearth of initiative, the political in eptitude and lack of faith in govern ment? The brainless mimicry of foreign fads and fashions, the want of origin ality and the seeming incapacity for judicious assimilation? The copious lipservice to democracy and the unwilling ness to pattern the people’s life and liv ing upon its tenets? All that is fine, said my American friend. But I do wish your people would learn not to dump their garbage into the open streets nor make a latrine of the sidewalks as I have so often seen them do. It’s damned unsightly and un sanitary, you know. And with a re duction in your all-day siesta some time might be left for a communal effort to create a more civilized environment for your people. ★ What of April? PEOPLE have often asked me what I think will happen during the elections next April. Is General Roxas really going to contest the Presidency with Mr. Osmena? Is the breach between the two past all healing? Or, are Messrs. Zulueta, Romero, Arranz, et al, under secret orders to work out the basis for a reconciliation between the two? And if Roxas should run, will he win? All I know, I have always managed to say, is what I read in the papers. And the papers have made a few things quite clear. President Osmena is strong ly for unity. If we are united, he has said time and again, we stand a better chance of solving the tremendous prob lems which confronts us. He means national unity, of course — something highly desirable anywhere and at all times. Whether he also means by it unity within the party—the Nacionalista party—is not equally clear, though it would seem, by inference, that he does. General Roxas has, on the other hand, left no doubt about his determination to run for president. He favors na tional unity too, but he is not willing to confuse that with party unity. He is ready to split the Nacionalista party if necessary in order to have a balanced two-party system. Only thus, he be lieves, can genuine national unity be achieved. It will be forged in the fire of electoral conflict, and it will be all the stronger because it will be based on the will of the majority prevailing over but respecting the opinion of the mi nority. There the matter stands at the present time. I have often wondered why people do not discuss the prospective candidates for Vice-President with the interest the matter so obviously deserves. For, as we have seen, the question of who hap pens to be Vice-President at any given time can be supremely important. Voters who find it hard to choose be tween Osmena and Roxas may ultimate ly be swayed by their choices for run ning-mates, on the wholly natural sup position that if elected either of the latter stands the chance of becoming president. And well he may. As this is being written, pro-Roxas Senator Cuenco is quoted in the papers as having given the tentative nam» of “Liberal Party’’ to the Roxas group, and “Conservative Party*’ to the Osmena faction. Since pro-Osmena elements have time and again accused Roxas of being at the head of a “Fascist’’ clique, THE EAGLE’S EYRIE 67 we now find ourselves in the middle of a highly interesting, if somewhat con fusing, situation. What we all need, to start with, maybe, is a few elementary lessons in semantics. We simply have got to know what Liberal and Conserv ative and Fascist and Progressive really mean before we start tacking them on to people. Nobody wants to be taken in by false pretenses. ★ Lesson in Democracy GENERAL YAMASHITA has been sentenced to die by hanging. They say that the trial was important because it set up vital new precedents in war criminal trials. That may be. To most people, however, its greatest value lies in having demonstrated the moral superiority of the democratic over the samurai way of life. I was in Malaybalay, Bukidnon, when Filipino refugees from the Japanese reign of terror in Davao arrived there with stories of how the conquering Jap anese troops had treated the Filipino civilians whom they found in that fallen city. They were out to wreak vengeance on the Filipinos who were in charge of the internment camp for Japanese civilians. They herded all suspects they could find to the edge of the town. Without being given any chance what ever to defend themselves, the Filipinos were tied along the entire length of a long bamboo pole. At a given signal, two flame-throwers at either end of the pole were turned on until everyone on the line had been burnt to a crisp. Very swift and very efficient. To Secretary Jose Abad Santos and later to Generals Lim, Segundo, and De Jesus, the same brand of samurai justice was meted out by the conquerors. In the whole course of the trial, nothing has been more striking than the diligence and skill which the defense counsel of American officers employed in a determined effort to save the life of their client. It is no secret that they had many people, including GIs and foreign correspondents, secretly ap plauding them for the telling effect of their methods during cross-examination and for the simple dignity of their pleading. Too bad the trial could not be held in Japan in a vast courtroom open to the Japanese. As a powerful lesson in democracy, it might have proved more effective in the end than a dozen directives. ★ What Sort of a Fellow? I have been asked what sort of a fellow is Noel Young who wrote me a letter in the November PhilippineAm erican under the title, “A Bigger Snowman”. Noel has only recently gone home, but before he did we met three or four times, the last two times when he came to dinner at the house. I can VULCANIZING IG. PARTS MOTOR OIL BATTERIES ACCESSORIES CUP GREASE STANDARD ELECTRICAL SERVICE REWINDING SPARE PARTS TIRES & TUBES ALL BRANDS N. E. RABANERA Aut Mgr. B. RAMOS Chief Vulcanizing Man AUTO SUPPLY & REPAIR SHOP DIRECT IMPORTER 1309 Quezon Blvd. RABANERA BROS. Mgr. A Prop. A. M. RABANERA Mgr. and Prop. B. MIRANDA Electrician Rewlnder68 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN only report that he is just about the most personable and pre-possessing young American I have met. He is young, 22 or 23, about five feet six inches tall, writes poetry and fiction and essays, loves books, laughter, children, and good food. Not really much of a Bigger Snowman than I am, and that’s perhaps the reason we got along so nicely together. When he first came to the house he said, "Well, here I am, and I haven’t brought the Empire State Building or the Boulder Dam with me either.” We both laughed at that, and after the usual amenities began talking shop. He likes Kahlil Gibran, Rabindranath Tagore, Jose Garcia Villa, marvels at the latter poet’s perceptive grasp of the English language, the way he can mo del and remodel words to serve a new purpose till they become as precious stones which you could feel with the fingers. His literary preferences didn’t surprise me because Noel is himself try ing to do that in his own writings, both in prose and poetry. He thinks it is the privilege of a writer to discover novel modes of expression, and that the real artist, if he should ever feel the need of reaching out for the mind of his audience, may compromise thus far but no farther. He speaks Spanish with the unmis takable accent of an American who has learned it in college. The short time he was in Manila he picked up some Tagalog too, and used to spring it on street vendors who flabbergasted him by replying in English. He speaks Pangasinan much better, having stayed in Lingayen about five months. His lan guage perplexity centered on the fact that while in Leyte he had learned to say tubig for water, when he reached Lingayen, he found that water was no longer tubig but danum. Then, upon reaching Manila, he found that water was tubig all over again. Also, he couldn’t understand why in Pangasinan a person says wala for "there is,” and in Tagalog wala for "there is none.” He hated Rizal Avenue. Too garish, he said. He preferred to take long, solitary walks through the little side streets of Chinatown. He thinks there are no fruits anywhere in the world quite as delicious as papaya or mango, and he is fond of pansit. He comes from Pasadena, "city of roses”, where his pretty wife, — a Philippine-born American girl who studied and lived with her parents in Silliman until she was fifteen—awaits him, as well as a six-month-old son whom he has not yet seen. Noel returned home by plane, and should be there now, in plenty of time before Christmas which is his birthday. Nice time I had meeting and lenowing Noel—as fine, unassuming, and friendly an American as they make them, yea, even in the great Pacific State of California. ATTORNEYS-AT-LAW NOTARIES PUBLIC .430 Rizal Avenue To Builders & Contractors— For your Construction Needs, Drop at eo riAC Hardware & Cement Tiles Factory £05 Quezon Blvd. cor. Raon Manila, Philippines Tlewsmontk By Baldomero T. Olivera ■ ■ ■ THE UNITED STATES WHEN the first atomic bomb lite rally vaporized a good portion o Hiroshima, man entered upon ? new epoch. And, like any revolutionary change, the beginning of the atomic era heaped on the shoulders of men of af fairs the world over more and more prob lems even before they could solve prob lems in human relations which such re latively tame sources of power as steam and electricity brought about. The question at once arose: What to do with this tremendous force? For days on end since Hiroshima, the Great Debate raged. Scientists disagreed over the extent to which research should be pursued on a source of power that could destroy life more summarily than any weapon of destruction has ever done before. In Washington last month, the first official step was taken toward assuring the use of atomic or nuclear energy to benefit man, not to destroy him. Since the discovery by Becquerel of radioactivity half a century ago, scien tists the world over had a theoretical knowledge of this new source of power. The great Einstein forty years ago startled the world when he said if the energy in a glass of water were released, the resulting power would be sufficient to propel a giant battleship across the seven seas. But while the world’s leading physi cists knew about atomic power in theory, its practical application was something else, and today the know-how is the ex clusive property of three countries: the United States, Great Britain, and the Dominion of Canada. One week last month, the heads of these governments—President Truman, Premier Attlee and Premier McKenzie King—went into a huddle in Washing ton, exchanged views on atomic power, promptly emerged from the powwow with a one-thousand-word communique defining the intentions of the “Atomic Three." The communique in effect proposed that the United Nations Organization set up a special commission specifically charged with the duties of: 1. Studying ways and means of con trolling atomic energy so that it be used for peaceful purposes only. 2. Setting up an international instru mentality which would eliminate from ar senals all weapons of mass destruction, including the atomic bomb, and gas and bacteriological warfare. 3. Organize proper safeguards, such as international inspection squads, to see to it that no violation of agreements on this subject is committed by any country. If and when such safeguards are as sured, said the Atomic Three, then they would share the secret of nuclear ener gy with all members of the United Na tions Organization. But, to make it an even trade, all the other member nations in turn must agree to let each other share their respective scientific secrets. fif) 70 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN Within the United States, World War II continued last month to produce after effects often bordering on a first-rate crisis. Industrial reconversion saw labor and management still at odds on labor’s de mand for a 30 per cent wage increase. The month saw an average of 300,000 union workers, including 200,000 in the automobile industry, dig in for a long strike. Statistics showed the man-days lost due to walkouts was nearing the peak set in 1919. The strike bug had bitten the steel industry too as the month ended. The CIO Steel Workers in Pittsburgh, num bering more than 600,000, voted to strike unless their demand for a two-dollar daily wage increase was granted, set the walkout for sometime before the end of the year. Another backwash of the war caught Washington’s top brass divided on the proposal to unite the armed services un der one civilian Secretary of the Armed Forces. The Army was for it. So was the Air Force, which stood to lose nothing in the merger, being now more or less an adjunct of the Army. But the Navy, quite zealous about guarding the independence it has en joyed heretofore, strongly objected, cited the successful combined operations in the war just ended as proof a mer ger was unnecessary, warned against what Admiral Nimitz termed "destroy ing the strengths of our present system in accepting a new and untried one." Army big guns, however, boomed loud er as the month ended, and press com ments indicated American public opi nion was convinced a unified command was desirable. Congressional action on the merger bill was expected this month. For work well-done, meanwhile, top brass got either the rest or the promo THE TEN MOST IMPOR TANT EVENTS OF 1945 Selected by the Editors of the Philippine-American 1. Harnessing of atomic energy. 2. V-E. 3. V-J. 4. Signing of the United Nations Charter. 5. Death of President Roose velt. 6. Labor Party victory in England. 7. Anti-imperialist revolu tions in Indonesia and French Indo-China. 8. Flare-up of undeclared civil war in China. 9. Failure of the Foreign Ministers’ Conference in London. 10. War Crimes trials. tion they deserved. Into retirement went General of the Army George C. Marshall whose job as chief of staff went to the hero of the Europe’ftn war, General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower. Soon to retire is Admiral Ernest J. King whose top Navy job will go to Ad miral Chester Nimitz. Hardly had General Marshall left his desk in Washington, however, when President Truman telephoned him one morning and said, “I got work for you. to do in China. Will you go?" Always a good soldier, George Cat lett Marshall said yes, and as the month ended, he was dusting off his duffel bags, readying himself for a trip to China and a plunge into one of the worst trouble spots on earth. Marshall’s hurried trip was neces sitated by the abrupt resignation of Maj. NEWSMONTII 71 Gen. Patrick Hurley as ambassador to Chungking. Without giving the State Department or the White House a chance to announce his separation from the ser vice, Hurley issued a stinging statement to the press saying he quit because some career diplomats in the State Depart ment were “sabotaging the traditional foreign policy of the United States.” Congressmen listened, demanded an immediate investigation. Did some libe rals in the State Department whisper some secrets to Liberal Congressmen who in turn made caustic remarks about the manner in which Hurley was "sticking his nose too far into the China mess?” The Hurley resignation had far-flung ramifications. It dramatized the exist ing conflict within the State Department on the China policy, brought to a focus the need for a clear-cut definition of a new policy. Will Hurley's resignation mean a re treat from his all-out support of Chiang? Was Marshall sent to China to solve a military problem? December will give the answers, but meanwhile, wiseacres thought that Mar shall, rated tops in Washington, was out to weigh America’s next move in the only area in the world where the land forces of Soviet Russia and the United States looked at each other across an imaginary line. For, as of the first week in December, 1945, the enigmatic Kremlin, quiet, adamant, was considered the unknown factor in the peace equations. THE FAR EAST When Douglas MacArthur set up his headquarters in Tokyo as Supreme Com mander for the Allied powers, his man Genuine Australian Sheep Skin Rugs & Toy Koala Bear at Factory Prices I SAMPLES NOW ON DISPLAY at 1085 R. Hidalgo, Manila near San Sebastian Church YOUR ORDERS ACCEPTED Goods Shipped direct from A to your folks at Home Thoughtful GIs: Remember your Loved Ones with Souv enirs of Lasting Interest .. I J. L. RAIMUNDO 11151 I FRANK L. MERRITT ® Manila Representatives aTTeSzS/^dpes^ucpp AND BEAUTY PAELCR 1354 Misericordia Manila Feting Atienza Prop. & Mgr. for old and young best sellers, children’6 books and toys, Christ mas cards, fountain pens, wallets, autographs, etc. ALEHAC’S___ ■MH^H"Your Shopping Center”M^^^M^H E 72 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN date, as defined in Potsdam, was to con vert the Japanese to the democratic way of life. General MacArthur lost no time in carrying out his mandate. A barrage of directives kept Emperor Hirohito’s gov ernment busy all month. A second list of war crimes suspects, including Japan’s Pearl Harbor Ambassadors Nomura and Kurusu, was issued, and trials of the top suspects now in detention were slated for sometime this month. The Diet was called to an extraordi nary session as the month ended to im plement General MacArthur’s directives, particularly on matters of (1) purging the government of men with taint of war guilt, (2) reforming the election laws to permit repressed Japanese wo men to vote for the first time in his tory, and (3) amending the land laws with a view to destroying feudalism and giving the masses more share in the pro duce of the land. As December came, the seat of Japan’s militarism—the war and navy minis tries—bowed out into history, became the Demobilization Ministries No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. Across the Sea of Japan in Manchuria, Chinese Communist resistance to Kuo mintang forces all but fizzled out after Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek’s U. S.equipped men drove through on an end run at Shanhaikwan, where the Great Wall meets the sea. At presstime, the government forces were more than halfway between the Wall and Mukden, with the Communist Yenan forces offering negligible rear guard resistance on flat terrain difficult to defend. More significant, however, was the fact that Yenan was being abandoned by the Soviets. At month’s end, Marshal Malinovsky was making arrangements with General Tu Li-ming for the trans fer of airborne Chungking troops to Changchun, capital of Manchuria. But key-points in North China and Inner Mongolia still remained in Yenan hands, and this month, the People’s Con sultative Council, where China’s major political parties, including the Com munists will be represented, will attempt to settle once and for all the great China muddle. Further south in Indo-China, the pic ture was obscured in a shroud of censor ship. Fighting between the Annamese and the French appeared to have de creased considerably in the southern states where French reinforcements ar rived in increasing numbers. But the Viet Minh government set up by the nationalist Annamese func tioned with apparent impunity under what appeared to be the quiet approval of Chiang Kai-shek’s troops who rushed into northern Indo-China on Allied over all orders to disarm and accept the sur render of the Japanese. The best Christmas Gift that you can give your daughter is to enroll her in tbe !)£ HJOJUn MM AUTHORIZED BY THE GOVERNMENT After a study of several weeks she will be a successful Dressmaker or Beautician with lucrative earning. DRESSMAKING AND HAIR SCIENCE Enrollment still going on at Dasmarihas corner David near People’s Bank. Mail this coupon to De Luxe Fashion School and you will receive prospectus free of charge. Name ..................................................... Address .............................................. NEWSMONTH 73 French commanders in Saigon dared not complicate matters by sending troops into the Chinese zone, condescendingly told reporters the Viet Minh leaders could not be charged with treason since the movement started during the enemy regime, when “French authority was temporarily suspended.” Nearby India, for years and years a hotbed of disaffection under British rule, reached the boiling point one week last month. Coincident with the opening of the trial in New Delhi of the captured of ficers and men of Subhas Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army, fifty thousand nationalists in Calcutta staged a demonstration demanding that the trial be dropped since the Hindu soldiers were not any more pro-Japanese than they were anti-British. The demonstration turned into riots which raged for three days, spread into many cities. Scores were killed and hun dreds wounded, including several Amer icans. London observers agreed it was the most serious uprising in India since the Great Mutiny. For Moslems and Hin dus heretofore divided, joined as one in the anti-British demonstrations, and even the usually quiet Bengalis waved na tionalists flags, carried slanderous antiBritish placards. British analysts saw in the distur bances a general trend against colonial ism throughout Asia, conceded that the Hindus, a bit impatient, would rather resort to force than rely on London's promise of autonomy within the British commonwealth of nations. Similar offers by the Dutch made equally little impression on the Indone sians who continued their resistance against great odds all last month. The diplomatic front improved consi derably, but the fighting fronts were made doubly complicated by the emer gence of extremist elements who defied even the pleas of their own recognized leaders. Towards the close of the month, the Allied command, using British, Dutch and even Japanese troops, had most of Java under control although scattered resistance flared intermittently outside of the port city of Sourabaya, at Ban doeng and near the vicinity of the inter nee camps in Batavia. Two factors foreshadowed possible ne gotiated peace: (1) the revamp of the nationalist cabinet which saw 36-yearold moderate Sultan Sjahrir catapulted to premiership; and (2) the announce ment by Dr. Herbertus H. Van Mook, acting Dutch governor, that The Hague was now in the mood to discuss terms with the Indonesians. Heretofore, The Hague had ignored the nationalists. Premier Sjahrir meanwhile announced he would endeavor to persuade his ex tremist countrymen to seek more peacefor your friend and yourself at The “400” CLUB NOW OPEN with • New Masonite DANCE FLOOR and • Your favorite music of SERAFIN PAYAWAL’S famous MANILA HOTEL ORCHESTRA 2278 Oroquieta St. (cor. Laguna St.) 74 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN ful methods of settling their differences with the Dutch, and announced that trusteeship under the United Nations would be acceptable until Java was bet ter prepared, provided such trusteeship did not mean the return of the Dutch to overlordship in the East Indies. THE NEAR EAST The biblical lands attracted its share of the world news spotlight last month. Out in northern Iran (Persia) where Asia ends and Europe begins, pro-Russian inhabitants of the Iranian province of Azerbaijan rose up in arms, demand ed autonomy. The government at Teheran pointed an accusing finger at Moscow, charged that the rebels were armed by Russian Armenians, accused Moscow of conniving with tribal rulers in an alleged plot to control the fabulously rich oil lands of the region. Washington saw dangerous portents in the revolution, sought to short-circuit possible Russian expansion by inviting the Big Three to withdraw their respec tive troops from Iranian territory. Wash ington reminded Moscow that under the terms of the Teheran Declaration, the Big Three were to respect Iranian sove reignty, and withdrawal of the troops— which entered Persia to make secure the backdoor supply route for Allied lendlease aid to Russia—would be one way to respect that territorial integrity. At press time, Moscow had rejected the Washington proposal. EUROPE France’s Fourth Republic saw a mild political circus last month. The con stituent assembly unanimously selected Gen. Charles de Gaulle president of the government, but when he set out to or ganize a cabinet, the Communist party, which had secured the largest number of seats in the Chamber of Deputies in the recent elections, threw a monkey-wrench into the De Gaulle machine by demand ing one of the major portfolios—war, interior, or foreign affairs. De Gaulle did not relish the idea. To BEAUTIFUL XMAS GIFTS for Girls and Children dresses, Books, Toys, Yoyo, Guns, dresses, 1eWELRY: BarBoats, Candies. rings, Brooches, FinsAMERICAN 2 39 FAR EAST NOVELTY STORE escolta NEWSMONTH 75 yield to the Communists was to him more concession than would please the West ern Democracies to which France, by tradition, was attached. So back to the assembly he dumped his mandate in what amounted to a resignation of the presidency. The assembly was stumped. There was no personality of De Gaulle’s sta ture in sight. After a little wrangling, De Gaulle was given another mandate to form a government, and this time the Communists accepted the next to the best thing they could get—a ministership in a newly-created army supply portfolio which operates directly under de Gaulle in his capacity as head of the armies. Further north in Nuremberg, Ger many, twenty top Nazis faced an inter national court on charges of war crimes. Led by the No. 1 known living Nazi, bulky Hermann Goering, ex-air marshal of the Reich, the Germans pleaded in nocence on arraignment, then settled back to the ordeal of listening to hund reds of witnesses who will try to prove that the Nazis deserved the gallows for plotting an abortive conquest which sent millions of men, women, and children to untimely death. The trial is unprecedented. Whether or not the Nazis are convicted, the Nu remberg court represented the first tri bunal destined to give international law the teeth and meaning so sadly lacking in previous world courts. Here, legalists IP H O T O PHILIPPINES The Studio of Distinction^ Patronized by Manila’s Social Elite — Workman ship by Masters of Art bears the stamp of QUALITY—Try it! ESCOLTA, MANILA—Opposite Lyric Theatre ^Beautiful Homesites1 in Espana, University, Camp Murphy, & New Manila Subdivisions. High land, picturesque avenues, Shade trees, cool breezes — ENCHANTING PANORAMA P3.50 up Lots of 300 to 10,000 sq. m. 20% down; balance 60 months. ESTATE, INC. 313 Villonco Bldg.. Quezon Blvd. :i Cantina Italuma Make your date there for your favorite Italian dishes: * Spaghetti Ravioli * Tagliatelle Pizza, etc. 719 F. B. Harrison, Pasay, in front of U. S. Seamen’s Club 76 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN hope, is the beginning of an instrumen tality that can outlaw war. THE PHILIPPINES Back home in Manila, another war crime trial was terminated as the month ended. After listening the good part of the month to lurid tales of Jap anese atrocities, General Tomoyuki Yamashita, accused on 123 counts of re sponsibility for these crimes, took the stand, denied giving any orders to his men to turn barbarians, claimed he did not know anything about the killings of 60,000 unarmed Filipino men, women, and children until he was told about it after his surrender. A defense maneuver to let Yamashita go scot-free by petitioning for a writ of habeas corpus was denied by the Philip pine Supreme Court, but the American military lawyers detailed to see that Yamashita gets justice tried all legal re medies to save the Japanese general. Promptly, they filed a similar petition with the U. S. Supreme Court. On Dec ember 7, fourth Stateside anniversary of the outbreak of the Pacific War, Yama shita was sentenced by the five-man American military commission to die by hanging. The decision now goes to Generl MacArthur for review. President Sergio Osmena was all smiles when he landed on Nichols Field one day last month. For one thing, it was his pleasure to take home with him the widow and orphans of the late Presi dent Quezon. For another, his last trip to Washington was adjudged a singular success, and the City of Manila showed its appreciation by giving him a rousing welcome. When he rushed to Washington two months previous, the drive for rehabili tation aid to the Philippines was lag ging. But before he flew home, Mr. Os mena had secured definite commitments from President Truman that all availWith Sincerest Best Wishes For A Merry Christmas To All.... HALCON ENGINEERING Mechanics, Engineers, Machine-Builders General Repairs, Engineering, Machinery, and Iron Works 55 Halcon, Dapitan Extension THE PHILIPPINE NOVELTY STORE Specialty: Pina Embroideries Baguio Hocano Goods Imported products Men’s suits, dresses, etc. QUERUBIN BROTHERS 449 Raon, near corner Rizal Ave. Merry Chriitmai! WINE-COMFORTABLE-CLEAN WELCOME TO NEW YORK RESTAURANT 314 Rizal Avenue & 215 Carriedo In front of the American Red Cross Club | FIRST CLASS SERVICE | NEWSMONTH 77 able assistance would be extended the worst war-damaged territory under the American flag. Few days later U. S. High Commis sioner Paul V. McNutt arrived to assume his position, assured the Filipinos he was happy to be of service to them, affirmed the U. S. has no greater moral obligation to any nation than to the people of the Philippines. Promptly, the White House let it be known it was throwing its full weight behind the latest version of the Bell bill which would extend free trade eight years after independence and a four per cent graduated tax every five years until full tariff duty is levied at the end of 25 years. In the U. S. Senate, meanwhile, Sen ator Tydings, head of the territories committee, presented what he called the Philippine Rehabilitation Act of 1945, which provided, among others, close to a billion pesos in war damage payments, transfer of Army surplus goods to the Commonwealth government, and special funds for the reconstruction of public buildings, roads, bridges and public ser vices. At month’s end, Congress was mul ing over the measures, but final ap--------------A. PEfiA proval, with possible slight modifica tions, was considered a cinch. The arrival of Mr. Osmena rang the bell for the first election battle in the Philippines since Pearl Harbor. Acting on President Truman’s suggestion that elections for president, vice-president and congressmen be held on or before April 30th next year and that those elected hold office by May 30th, President Os mena called a special session of the Philippine Congress to determine the date and other details of the elections. Osmena’s Campaign Manager Jose 0. Vera dramatized the confidence of the president’s camp by announcing he’d commit suicide if the president is not reelected. For Osmena’s running-mate, veteran Eulogio Rodriguez was promi nently mentioned. Middle-of-the-roaders sought to per suade Senate President Roxas to pre serve party unity by running as vice president, but Roxas supporters poohpoohed the idea, threatened to split the Quezon-less Nacionalista party wide open by holding their own convention. At presstime, the hyphen which once happily joined Os-Rox was lengthening to a full dash and several thorny aste risks besides. OTEYZA------------Real Estate Broker ------------------ 107 Gastambide, Sampaloc, Manila----------------------------NEW IDEAL STUDIO---------------------------------------We take Outdoor picture!, Wedding Ceremonies, Baptismal Celebrations, Banquets, etc. in 2 Hours ------ By Appointment -----■ 243 Carriedo, Quiapo——__ I Celebrate the Christmas Season' at I CASA CURRO RESTAURANT Where the REAL and BEST Spanish Food la Served ----________________ 810 P. Campa________________________ Manila 78 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN A Chat... (Continued from Page 6) patronage and support comes back to you again in dividends of enriched en tertainment and illumination. It may also interest you to know that despite difficulties of transportation, the magazine is today being distributed in places as far away as Davao and Pala wan, as well as in the Ilocos, Bicol, and Visayan provinces. In Central and Southern Luzon, of course, not to speak of Manila and suburbs, the PhilippineAmerican has become something of a household word. As a Hollywood blurb writer would put it, the magazine has taken the country by storm. The Philippine-American leads the magazine field in news-stand and book stand and bookstore sales, the only pub lications that offer it competition being those printed in the United States. It is sold by newsboys in the streets—the only magazine that is thus distributed on exactly the same cash-and-carry basis as newspapers. Our steadily growing subscribers’ list shows nearly as many American as Fi lipino names—a concrete endorsement of the magazine’s happy choice of a name, and further proof that it has struck a happy balance in FilipinoAmerican reader appeal. The same balance is reflected in the contents of the magazine itself, for no other maga zine published in the Philippines today counts with the proportion of contribu tions from Filipino and American auth ors that we have been able to present each month. American soldiers returning home have subscribed to the magazine out of a de sire to retain a point of contact with the Philippines. They believe that the Philippine-American can provide that point of contact, and we’ll see to it that it does. Others who will be with us for -------------Inquiries Accepted------------Food Product* Paper & Paper Product* Electrical Aceesioriea & Hardware Building Material*. Kitchenware, Glaoware & Crockery Textile* & Coimetic* MARVEX COMMERCIAL CO., INC. 316 Quezon Boulevard Connections in 'San Francisco & New York --------For A Merry Christmas ■—----------------------------------To Solve your Worries about Christmas Cards, Birthday & Gradua tion Cards, Toys, Novelties, Christinas trees fresh from Baguio ready for delivery, Pocket Books, etc.— See MANUEL UY Sweepstake Agent No. 1 General Merchant Wholesale dt Retail 31 Plaza Sta. Cruz, Manila A CHAT WITH OUR READERS How To Make Your Friends Happy Christmas presents don’t just hap pen. To give is not easy: pre sents have to be selected carefully in order that they may give joy. Portraits which you give to your friends are like a bit of yourself— a most personal gift which will make your loved ones remember you as you really are. Portraits are NOT snapshots if they have to fill the requirements of a Christmas gift. They must be taken by an expert who knows how to bring out your personality. VELUZAR has long been fam ous for such portraits. Although informal and natural, VELU ZAR portraits convey your per sonality, your sincere greetings, to the one it is given. Special Christmas Offer For each VELUZAR portraits, wc ofier* ,, VELUZAR Personality Portraits Addresses 10 1 6 0 3 escolta rizal avenue 8 2 0 QUEZON BLVD. A PORTRAIT BY VELUZAR— Result: the ideal Christmas gift! some time longer have sent gift subscrip tions to their friends and relatives back home, believing that the magazine will more than supplement and perhaps rec tify what bits of information they may send about the Philippines and its peo ple. And, by way of footnote, to show that circulation and advertising do tie up to gether, our paid advertising this month is nearly double that of the preceding issue. • If all this sounds like a Report to the Stockholders, you may, if you wish, take it in just that spirit. For we have no stockholders to speak of the way the big-time commercial publishing houses have them—big names and mighty, you know, at whose mere mention the mind conjures awesome visions of power and pelf. This is a magazine of writers by writers who are happy in their work be cause no Big Somebody looks over their shoulders as they write. We have no mysterious connections anywhere, no surreptitious "backers” hovering behind the curtain, no hidden source of financial support which we could tap as the need arises. But what we think we do have is established reader confidence based on the belief that we have something to sell and that people will buy it because it is good and so long as it is good. Our only backers are our readers and our adver tisers whose faith in the selling power of our advertising space has remained firm and sound. • T HOSE among our readers who de sire to turn their leisure time into cash by acting as community distribut ors, advertising and subscription solicit ors for the magazine are urged to write us for particulars. They’ll be surprised to find how easy and profitable thia work can be, as the experience of many an energetic person who has come in with us even for a brief period has shown 80 THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN Hot weather miseries such as smart ing heat rash, sunburn, itching mos quito bites, got you down? That’s when you need Mexsana, the sooth ing, medicated powder to pick you up. Sprinkle it on your heat-irritated skin... feel how it soothes the smart of heat rash, prickly heat, cools the bum of sunburn. Mexsana also forms a coat of protection against chafing from clothes. Yet there’s no muss or grease to soil clothing, since it is a clean white medicated powder. All the family will like Mexsana. And even the larger sizes cost little. Get a supply today and beat the heat, with MEXSANA SOOTHING MEDICATED POWDER Sole distributors Philippine Net & Braid Mfg. Co. Inc. 123S Azcarragu Manila Christmas Greetings Dodge & Seymour Manila, Inc. Sole Agents: PARKER PENS ARROW SHIRTS AMERICAN THERMO ETC. R. 210 Villonco (Life) Bldg. 515 Quezon Blvd. clearly enough. Others with less time to spare can at least earn a free oneyear subscription to the magazine by turning in to us four paid-up annual subscriptions. Moved by the same impartial spirit, we are running in thia issue two articles, pro and con, on the subject: "Was Roxas a Collaborator?” Mr. Roxas, so the papers say, is running for presi dent in the coming national elections. So, here are the facts and the arguments, for and against; we leave them to you to sift and weigh as you will. Be seeing you in the election booths come April. 1 T seems we are never going to hear the end of S. P. Lopez’s "Letter to GI Joe” which appeared in our first issue. First, it earned us a friendly visit by two American army officers who wanted to know how we can help promote better understanding between Americans and Filipinos. Next, came word that Resi dent Commissioner Romulo in Washing ton had inserted the article in. the Con gressional Record. Then, it was pub lished in condensed form in a U. S. Army unit newspaper under the name of a Filipino civilian employee. The condensation was picked up and reprint ed by B.C.T. in his column in the Manila Times. There is where trouble began, because numerous readers who first read the article in the Philippine-American wrote in to B.C.T. and the Times calling attention to the plagiarism. Proper apo logies and explanations were made to everybody’s satisfaction. Capt. Lopez himself dismissed the incident saying that he felt flattered and pleased that his Letter has gotten much farther around than he thought it would. A CHAT WITH OUR READERS 81 T HE other week Mr. Edgar Snow, famed American war correspondent and writer on Far Eastern affairs, accepted our invitation to have merienda with our staff. Chatting informally we plied him with questions and found him to be extremely affable, though not too eloquent on affairs Philippine, claiming that he hadn’t studied our problems thoroughly. Nevertheless we did elicit the opinion that many reforms in the economic and political situation are neoessary before the nation can become truly democratic. Regarding Philip pine-American relations we were espe cially pleased that he thought the Phil ippine-American an excellent medium for their improvement and expressed the hope that we would continue to grow ar.d carry out our policies. Surprised that such a publication had made its ap pearance so early, he commended us on our stand in dealing with PhilippineAmerican affairs. The point that Mr. Snow emphasized most strongly is the fact that it is in deed “one world” we live in today, and that the problems of any one nation are intimately tied up with the world politic al and economic situation. Problems such as those of Korea, China, and In donesia, depend almost entirely on world politics, and the Philippines should es pecially pay attention to this tie-up now that it is on the verge of independence. It was indeed a pleasure speaking with him and we are hopeful of having an article from him in a forthcoming issue. We feel that our readers should not be denied this privilege. • JuST a word about reprints from this magazine: The contents of each issue of the Philippine-American are copyrighted and may not be re printed or condensed without permission. The management will grant such per mission whenever requested, unless it is constrained from doing so for one reason or another. GILBERTO NERI Attorney-at-Law Notary Public Room 216, Fl'oor 2 Villonco Bldg. Quezon Blvd. Manila Do your Christmas Shopping at LILAC’S PERSONALITY DRESS Ready-made dresses & embroideries A world of style for modern women 1216 Arlegui cor. Tanduay, Manila ■ SOON TO ARRIVE! I Aflll The Toast of Two Continents: JiE HAMILTON as gracious an international beauty as the most famous favorites of the aristocrats of any time. THE PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN [—FOR PROMPT SHIPMENT—> WE RECEIVE ORDERS FOR— "House of Kasser” American Blended Whisky "Countess Maritza" Cosmetics & Toilet articles "Dayton" Bicycles—all models "Woodman" Sil verplate & Stainless Steel Tableware “Magnus-Mabee" Whisky & Liquor Essences—Essential' Oils ------------ oOo-----------Remnants—China & Glass ware—Canned Goods—Flash lights & Cells — Hardware — Mill Supplies—Notions & No velties. * METROPOLITAN TRADING CORPORATOR Room 216, Floor 2 Villonco Bldg. Quezon Blvd. Manila Letters (Continued from, page 5) suggest is that you have a column that will make the reader laugh once in a while. How about it? Arturo Tan Manila • We have been thinking about that. One of these days we will have it.—Ed. It’s "Top*” I enjoyed reading the November issue of the Philippine-American and wish to say it’s tops among local magazines. Within its pages one finds both enjoy ment and instruction. I like Lyd Arguilla’s story, for it de picts a tale not uncommon nowadays. Here's for more of her stories in your future issues. And Noel Young’s. Alicia P. Lopez 1343 M. Hizon Sta. Cruz, Manila "... but in Praise" You welcome suggestions for improve ment. Not for improvement but in praise I suggest you continue your splendid poetry section. It is a pleas ure, indeed, to discover in tfce Philip pines such skill in modern poetics as Godofredo Bunao exhibits in his "Apos trophe to Yamashita.” To be sure, the editors of the P-A., are contributing much “toward the promotion and deve lopment of Philippine culture and liter ature." I am returning to the States soon and I am anxious not to lose contact with current events in the Philippines. A subscription to your magazine is just the answer. I thank you. (Coupon en closed. If there is any increase in rate for Stateside address, please advise.) J. Robert Dietz LST Group Forty-Staff c/o Fleet PoBt Office San Francisco, Calif. • Stateside subscription rate is R5.W To our faithful , our cherished OLD FRIENDS and NEW FRIENDS we tender the best wishes for fl ta Christmas and happiness and prosperity for the May it be our privilege to add to its success. OFFSET LITHOGRAPHERS PRINTERS 2057 AZCARRAGA MANILA 83 How to Testj the Effectiveness of Your Advertising The man who said “It pays to advertise” sure started something. Firms began spending their money right and left, for wasn't it well known that by advertising, they would get results? However, while it is true that it pays to advertise, there is an “if” connected with it. Yes, advertising pays, IF it is done properly. How to do it properly can be checked. Do you know the meaning of keyed advertising? In keyed advertising you can test the effectiveness of your appeal. You can really see HOW effectively you advertise. Keyed advertising can be used to good advan* tags in The Philippine-American. One reason is our circulation. You might ask, "What is your circulation?” We would answer, "Our circula tion now is 10,000.” But your question should rather be: "WHAT IS THE CIRCULATION I GET?" A magazine such as The Philippine-American is read by at least five readers to one copy. This would mean that 50,000 people are going to read your ad. And they are the readers with the greatest purchasing power: businessmen, professionals,a professors, teachers, students, government officials and em-‘‘ ployees. The Philippine-American is found in the homes and offices of men and women who can buy and spend. But again, there is an IF. "If”—there will not be too many other ads to distract the readers' attention. We have decided, in order that advertising in The Philippine-American may be of utmost value, that no more than one-third of the contents of the magazine should be advertising matter. In this way you may be assured your money’s worth. Let us tell you more about it. We maintain a complete staff of ad vertising men who will be only too glad to advise you how to get the most out of your advertising peso. Call on us today — let us make your advertising pay! 84 THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS GIFT! "He gives not best who gives most," says Warwick, "but he gives most who gives best." * Make your friends and relatives re member you the whole year round by giving them a gift subscription to The PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN this Christmas. * Month by month, as The PHILIPPINEAMERICAN is joyfully received in their homes, they will remember you with fresh gratitude for giving them new vistas in intellectual enjoyment. Do not give yourself a chance to be thoughtless this Christmas. The PHILIPPINE-AMERICAN “For a clear, conciae and impartial interpretation of today'o evonta.” “The Whelamd' Improved Portable Saw Mill STURDY RELIABLE ACCURATE Model No. 36 — Capacity 600-700 board feet per hour. I The Wheland Improved Portable Saw Mill fulfils the needs for a sma.l saw mill that will cut lumber accurately and in quantities with minimum labor and upkeep costs. PHILIPPINE ENGINEERING CORPORATION 936 Raon St., Quiapo, Manila BATAAN ENTERPRISES, INC. Incorporated Under The LAWS OF DELAWARE, U.S.A., Aug. 15, 1945. REGISTERED IN THE BUREAU OF COMMERCE LICENSED BY THE BUREAU OF INTERNAL REVENUE ★ ★ * IMPORTERS • EXPORTERS • DISTRIBUTORS COMBINATION MANAGERS • PURCHASING AGENTS— EXCLUSIVE REPRESENTATIVES OE 27 LEADING MANUFACTURERS AND MERCHANTS IN TIIE UNITED STATES The BATAAN ENTERPRISES, INC. is the authorized sales representa tive for the Sonjean Co. (Philadelphia) in the Philippines, British Malaya and China and the following are the manufacturers for whom the BATAAN’ ENTERPRISES are exclusive agents: ADVANCED REFRIGERATING SYSTEMS CO. CAMDEN INK A- COLOR CO. CHAND1 ER LABORATORIES. INC. KOENING STEAM IRON MANUFACTUR ING CO. WHITTING-PATTEItSON CO. ENTERPRISES PAPER CO. EDIBLE OILS. WELD-TILE CHEMICAL CO.. INC. STATIONERY & OFFICE SUPPLIES. BINGHAM BROS. CO. RECONDITIONED AND REBUILT OFFICE MACHINERY. PRINTING & GRAPHIC ARTS SUPPLIES. CHEMICAL PRODUCTS CD. THE PROSPERITY CO.. INC. McGRAW HILL PUBLISHING CO.. INCFRAZER A- CO. I Internntionnl Merchantsince 1S34. N.Y. I INTER-NATIONAL ENGINEERS tChicngo. III.) AI.I.EN MERCHANDISING CORP- N.Y. SMITH MEEKER ENGINEERING. CO N.Y. MOLDED INSULATION CO. ll'ennuylVICTOR BROWN UNDIES. INC- N.Y. SPRITE MANUFACTURING CO- N.Y. HUDSON COUNTY KNITTING MILL. N.Y. JOS. S. COHEN A SONS. INC- N.Y. NATIONAL TOOL A- MANUFACTURING PRODUCTS CORP- N.Y. VITAMIN CORP. <>f AMERICA. N.J. DRIED PRODUCTS CO- N.Y. SHIPPING. Samples Of Above Products Are Forthcoming Manila Office: 206 VILLONCO BLDG., QUEZON AVE. I. S. Office: 1009 NATIONAL PRESS BLDG., WASHINGTON, D.C. SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTS IN SAN FRANCISCO. CHICAGO. NEW YORK Al HONOLULU. BANKING REFERENCE: NATIONAL CITY BANK °F INFORMATION1 REFERENCE: PHILIPPINE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. OF U.S. WASHINGTON. D.C. UNITED STATES CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. WASHINGTON. D.C. Benedicto S. Valenzona Gen. Manager, Pltil. Branch Dr. Diosdado M. Yap President We will icon install Pre-fabricated houses, “Plans” may be inspected at our office;