It took four days, often interrupted by air raids. At the Manila Hotel boat landing, Philippine Treasury gold, silver and securities, as well as the valuable private holdings of panicky civilians were gathered for transfer to Corregidor. Those Chinese on trucks were the real winners.ДЄ few streets away the situation was more orderly. Deals were made on the spot, and the Chinese drove away with the loot to their own warehouses. Chinese merchants parked their trucks nearby and offered to buy the goods. The US Army opened its white warehouses in the Port Area and the looting frenzies were repeated. No policemen could be seen, as they had been ordered to destroy their guns for fear they would be considered combatants.

Serious looting occurred along Rizal Avenue where window showcases were smashed and mobs grabbed dresses, shoes, handbags and other retail goods. At the foot of the Santa Cruz Bridge in downtown, the Insular Ice Plant and Cold Storage was stormed by people who carried away legs of ham, sides of beef, frozen foods and dairy products that were imported from the USA. It was an apocalyptic scene.ДЄs the Americans departed, their Quartermaster Corps warehouses were thrown open. Those oil tanks would burn night and day for the next five days. With the sun blotted out, the city was bathed in a weird yellow glow. The Shell Oil storage tanks in Pandacan district were set alight and, with a tremendous blast, a great ball of flame roared to the sky, billowing black smoke. Douglas MacArthur, Commander of USAFFE, declared Manila an 'Open City,' which meant that the capital would be surrendered without a fight. On Christmas Day news arrived that Hong Kong had fallen to the Japanese, and many people feared the same fate for Manila. As US Army trucks and commandeered buses trundled north filled with grim-faced American troops, Manila's civilians no longer cheered and gave them the V for Victory sign. The final days of December 1941 were also the final days of freedom for Manila. And that exception has not only been verified, but it was actually audited. No one has ever seen any of these treasures, but there is one exception.

Larry the looter online