[p.58] The UP faculty had a demonstration this afternoon. They walked from the Agrifina Circle to Malacañang, handed me a manifesto blaming the administration for the “pattern of repression.”
No mention at all about who started the stoning nor the danger to the First Lady and me—nothing but police brutality.
Dean [Cesar] Majul claimed they were referring to the government in general and that he who heads a house is responsible for happenings in the house. Dean [Salvador] Escudero of Business Adm. says [illegible] was a Marcos Liberal and that it is a matter of faith. Dean [Dolores] Feria (apparently an American lady) of English says there was brutality, that her 17 year old daughter was near our car and did not see any stone thrown (she must need glasses otherwise where did the wound of Agent Tuson in the forehead come from?). Dr. Francisco Nemenzo arrogantly proclaimed he was not content with the manifesto but after “seeing my reaction to it,” he was happy. I had said that I was
No Official Gazette entry for this day but Nick Joaquin Reportage p.218ff provides the President’s version of the meeting with UP Faculty, from the Diary as follows:
“They walked over to Malacañang from the Agrifina Circle and handed me their manifesto, which blamed on the administration a pattern of repression. I said: ‘Why do you charge me with repression?’ They said: ‘We do not mean you alone. We mean the entire government from way back. The government has been repressing free thought.’ Somebody added: ‘When we speak of the adminsitration we speak of the government in general, whoever heads it, and when we speak of the government in general we speak not only of the present administration but of all government administrations.’
“Then I said: ‘This manifesto is not written in the best English.’ I thought that could start some laughter; I was hoping the wisecrack would strike some humor into the solemn occasion. But they felt offended instead.
“They said they had come to protest police brutality. Now that was something. I said: ‘Okay, let us get down to police brutality.’ One of the deans there, a lady, said: ‘One of my children was in front of you, Mr. President, and she said there was no attempt to hurt you and that there were no bottles or stones or sticks thrown at you.’ I kept quiet, because I would have had to call her a liar.
“I said there ere reports to the effect that the Collegian had printed articles on communism. I said: ‘Your President [S.P. Lopez] must have told you by now that I have not objected to the printing of those articles.’ They asked werent there attempts to conduct an investigation on this. I said no. I said: ‘All I ask is that you present two sides.’ And this came to the point when I said there should be a debate on communism and democracy—a open, free-wheeling debate, with everybody allowed to defend this side or the other. For example, I said at this meeting, we could debate communism. They took this again as a challenge to debate; they felt that an attempt was being made to cow or coerce them. There was no such intention.”
Another, lengthier version of this exchange with Nemenzo. Reportage p.219-220 but Joaquin seems to be mixing direct quotations from the diary with Marcos’ comments during his interview:
“He was saying he was not happy about the manifesto. He said: ‘I did not write this alone; it was written by a committee; but now that I see your reaction to it, Mr. President, I am very happy about it.’ I
disappointed in the faculty of my alma mater; that the UP was charged as the spawning ground of communism and that the manifesto was full of ambiguous generalities that had a familiar ring to them. Then I read a report that he had said he wanted the members of the faculty to be hurt by the police and that he had given directions to the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation to prepare gasoline (apparently for Molotov cocktails, stones and other missiles to be used [p.59] in the Friday (Jan. 30th) rally), and that in the charge of communism in the UP, his name was mentioned.
Tomorrow, the big student rally. But [Angel] Gargaritano [Jr.] of the youth reform movement says the NUSP [National Union of Students of the Philippines] and the NSL [National Student League] will not come to Malacañang but go to Congress instead. The Kabataan Makabayan will come to Malacañang, though.
Mayor [Antonio] Villegas has said that he will not allow the police to be near the demonstrators. I ordered him in writing to maintain peace and order in all rallies and demonstrations. He sent word that his press release did not mean he would keep the police away.
I showed to the UP professors the Collegian which carried the communist party articles and said that I did not wish to stop this but that I hoped that the two sides of the question would be ventilated. [Salvador P.] SP Lopez called the editor of the Collegian [Victor Manarang] a leftist.
told him: ‘I am glad you are happy about something anyway.’ And I asked if it was true he was encouraging the students to use violence. He said no. I told him: ‘I would like to be frank with you. There is a report that you have directed a certain organization to prepare molotov cocktails to be used on January 30.’ He said: ‘No, I have no control over that organization; I am no longer an officer there.’ Then he said: ‘But I question the statement that the U.P. is a breeding ground for communism.’ I said: ‘All I’m asking is that there should be an open debate, because there are requests to even close the U.P. and reports that it’s a spawning ground for communism and complaints that I have not done anything about it.’ He kept insisting: ‘What are these reports?’ So I said: ‘That you are one of those reported supposedly participating in discussions about communism.’
“That was all. I did not call him a communist or anything like that. I just said that there were reports that the U.P. was a spawning ground and suggestions that it be either investigated or closed. Which would be ridiculous. That was why I had no taken any steps about it. I think I even confronted the U.P. president, S.P. Lopez, and asked him: ‘Do you remember when I told you that we should not stop the Collegian from printing those articles?’ And that students should run their own papers as they pleased. Only why, I said, not give the other side a chance to print also what they wanted printed, so that both sides of the question will be printed. Nobody said anything, because I suppose they felt this was a legitimate request.”
Front page story of the Chronicle reported that Marcos scolded the UP profs, and reacting to manifesto declared “You yourselves are vague and confused on the issues you have raised against the government.” At another point he pointed at the faculty and dared: “If there is a communist among you here, let him step forward and I’ll debate with him. I assure him he will not be arrested.”