The residence of the President of the Philippines, this complex in the San Miguel district on the north bank of the Pasig was one of the primary objectives of the American advance on the city.

The University of Santo Tomas had its main campus on the outskirts of the city, a facility that had since 1942 been in use by the Imperial Japanese Army as an internment camp.

The seat of the Commonwealth Government, this reinforced concrete structure will be a fortress in the hands of die-hard Japanese troops.