I seriously doubt your neighbor was standing on the dock as the passengers loaded. Therefore, how would he know what was loaded aboard the PT boats?
There is nothing like spending the entire war as a Japanese POW to fix in one’s mind what happened and how you ended up in that situation.
There is no doubt that news of MacArthur's evacuation had a negative effect on morale. It's also understandable how some in the prison camps would become embittered.
Your source is tainted.
You mean sources. There are numerous independent first hand accounts.
I, and others, who have served in the military too, know that what ends up reported ain’t necessarily what happened.