In the Philippines, the first weak steps along the road of reconstruction were taken. In bombed and burned Manila the Rotary Club began its weekly Thursday luncheons. In the Manila Hotel socialites and dressmakers staged the capital's first fashion show and ball since 1941 against a background of charred greystone walls. The Islands' top dressmaker, Ramon Valera, turned out 24 gowns in two weeks (with material at $50 a yard), then collapsed from overwork. The first trickle of civilian goods had arrived from the U.S., tumbling black market prices 50%. And the Islands had shipped their first large load of...
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