There was a fourth retreat master and she was not a priest. She was Imelda who was so enthused about the retreat, she talked intermittently about the subject of the meditation in the retreat.
Last night we had a second joint retreat with our retreat masters talking to us in succession. We had invited them to dinner at the Mansion then to another session. Father
Official Gazette for March 25, 1970: President Marcos, refreshed by a two-day spiritual retreat, took up public affairs with some zest as he interspersed private consultations and desk work with conferences with local officials who flocked to the Mansion House for an airing of; their problems.
Among other urgent concerns, the President discussed with PSC Commissioner Enrique Medina by telephone the public outrage against exorbitant bus and jeepney fares. He then asked the PSC chief to crack down on the unscrupulous operators. In consultations with national officials, the President talked with Executive Secretary Alejandro Melchor, Jr., Director of Forestry Jose Viado, Director of Mines Fernando Busuego, Jr., Vicente Arancill, DBP branch manager in Baguio; and District Land Officer Angel Sangalang.
Among the local delegations he received were those from Benguet headed by Gov. Ben Palispis and Mayor Luis Lardizabal of Baguio. The Benguet group put before the President the problem of conflicting mining claims, reforestation projects and public works improvements for the province.
Mayor Lardizabal discussed the city’s perennial water shortage, the relocation of squatters and other concerns. In the afternoon, the President conferred with Councilors Antonio Romero, Jose Florendo, Ruben Ayson, Dionisio Claridad, and Pedro Claraval, all of Baguio City.
In the course of the day, the President reconstituted four high advisory bodies with which he consults on various matters relating to national policies.The agencies reorganized were the Council of Leaders, to supersede the abolished Council of State; the Financial Policy Committee, the Air Navigation Services Coordinating Committee, and the Exchange Visitors Program Committee.
The President also ordered the release of some P37 million from the highways special fund for the improvement and maintenance of national and provincial roads. The amount released corresponds to the allotment for the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ending June 30. Of this amount, P18, 754,688 will be used for the maintenance of national and provincial roads, with the provincial roads getting P6, 155,349.
The sum of P17, 739,966 will be utilized for the improvement of national and provincial roads, with the provincial roads getting P3, 859.685. The Bureau of Public Highways will allot the sums released to the different engineering districts and offices.
In a speech read for him by Secretary of National Defense Juan Ponce Enrile at the opening of the SEATO Exercise “Sea Rover,” the President called for the pooling of will and strength in a common thrust to lick poverty and uplift the status of the masses in Asia. The President said that the framework for this type of cooperation exists.
“It will be a kind of undertaking vested with a more enduring validity that along with the series of military exercises we hold periodically, there shall be in SEATO some worthy forms of ‘economic exercises’ that will similarly test and demonstrate the fruitful coordination and willingness to cooperate among our member countries in this particular regional association,” he said. The President pointed out that the ancient challenges of mass poverty and economic inequities affect all of Asia which will inevitably affect the social stability and the quality of peace in the world should they remain unchecked. [Full text of speech omitted in this note.]
[Jose] Cruz talked on filters and the Christian’s commitment in Philippines society. Father [Ruben D.] Tanseco followed on counsel for the married—the differences of outlook between the man and woman. The woman seeks to build a home so she is obsessed with a home life. But the man also wants a work life. The man is passionate and his love is in spurts but the woman is romantic, needs the refinements of preparation for the sexual act and has a love that is more consistent and prolonged and may be too possessive. Father [Alfonso M.] Nebreda who is a Basque, a friend and colleague of the Black Pope and may become the next Black Pope spoke of the need to consider each human being as the nearest approach to God and therefore must be treated as such.
The common note was hope and not despair, life and not death and the triumph of goodness in man over evil—this struggle being the most agonizing of conflicts.
Blas Ople warns of a plot to take over the government by some retirees being openly spoken of in media circles. He says that [on] Thursday or Friday students armed by the Huks or the CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] will attack the police and Metrocom [Metropolitan Command], place me under House arrest in Baguio, the first division to neutralize any loyal troops of the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines]. So I sent Gen. [Rafael] Zagala to take over command of the 1st Infantry Division, grounded Col. Carreon, deputy commander and an S. [Sergio] Osmeña [Jr.] man, as well as Commodore [Manuel] Cabal and Col. Irlanda, Commander and Deputy of the SOWESCOM [South West Command] as well as Col. [Jesus?] Dizon, CO [Commanding Officer] of the 20th BCT [Battalion Combat Team], and Capt. Nangkil, the S-2 of the 10th BCT stationed in Central Luzon.
Gen. Zagala has taken back command of the Tabak Division, transferred command of the Pasig Task Force to Col. Jose, Deputy Commander of PHILCAG [Philippine Civic Action Group]. The Deputy Commander of Gen. [Jose] Rancudo, CG [Commanding General] of the 5th Fighter Wing (jet fighters), Col. Bauzon was replaced by Col. [Cirilo] Bueno.
Class ’44 of PMA [Philippine Military Academy] will be retired except for some who are vouched for by the loyal commanders.
So everything is under control. But I guess that this is a false alarm. However as Gen. [Romeo] Espino, Vice Chief of Staff who was here on the way to inspect Batanes, says, there is nothing lost in precaution. He commands the reserves of nine battalions in the contingency plan.
Chino [Joaquin] Roces saw Sec. Alex [Alejandro] Melchor [Jr.] last night and says he is willing to sell the Manila Times. He is probably feeling the pressure and may think that he is going to be arrested next. I do not believe him but we will play along. I am sending [Geronimo] Ronnie Velasco, who has suggested to [Isabel] Bebeng Roces to put up an anti-communist newspaper with the Manila Times outlets, to see Don Ramon
Nebreda was from the Japan Province of the Society of Jesus, like Pedro Arrupe, he was then director of the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in the Ateneo de Manila Loyola Heights campus.
Roces if the stockholders (Ramon Roces actually organized the Manila Times after the war and gave shares free to the Roces family) will sell out. Then I meet Chino Saturday here in Baguio.
I go to Ilocos Norte, lunch at Poro Point and return to Baguio tomorrow if I do not go to Manila for lunch.