"We were able to find peepholes where we could watch the U.S. planes dive down through heavy flak of anti-aircraft guns, to drop their bombs on important targets."
It was not long until we had a front seat to a bombing raid.
We watched black smoke billowing up from burning oil tanks really a great show! It was also quickly evident that slow starvation was the daily pattern at Bilibid. The high walls made it impossible to get any extra food. My weight was now 110 pounds.
In November, I developed dengue, a mosquito-born disease called "break-bone fever." It was properly named-felt .like every bone in my body was breaking. For ten days I was in the prison hospital, overlooking the main gate and Rizal Ave. I didn't care much whether I lived or died - one chill after another. No appetite! I couldn't eat the thin lugao they brought me. Lost weight and strength. I was in bad shape to start a trip through MacArthur's blockade.
About December 1st, I was pronounced well! I dragged myself back to the big stone building and my area on the concrete floor. My bones were getting very close to the concrete.
Shortly, a typhoon arrived; the winds blew, the skies darkened and heavy rains beat down-generally very unpleasant. No planes arrived to make their daily attacks.
In a few days, we began to hear ships' whistles and bells again. That meant ships were moving in and out of Manila Bay, unmolested by bad weather and U.S. planes. This was a bad omen! The Japs would probably get us aboard a ship and on our way through MacArthur's blockade.
Again, the Japanese ordered our medical officers to examine all prisoners in Bilibid, to determine those healthy enough to complete the trip to Japan, and those sick enough to remain behind the stone walls-to be recaptured by MacArthur's troops in a few weeks. My better sense told me it would be smarter to be sick and be rescued, but my conscience kept telling me I should go along.
Liberation of Bilibid Prison: MacArthur's invading forces landed on the beaches of Lingayen Gulf on January 9th, 1945, with the aid of Col. Russell Volkmann's Northern Luzon guerrillas Headquarters were established in Dagupan.
On February 4th, a flying column of the 1st Cav. Div. Under Brig. Gen. William Chase entered Manila and relieved the prisoners from Bilibid. As a soldier broke down a boarded-up window in the stone wall near where Ted Winship was busy quanning (cooking), Ted asked, "Who are you?"