Have just played golf and had a massage at Bongbong’s room. Exercised as I was feeling tense and uneasy. Worked out for about an hour jogging and hitting about a hundred balls.
Met with CINCPAC [Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command] Admiral [John] McCain [Jr.] who briefed me on Cambodia. He says that Lon Nol has more than a 50-50 chance to survive and keep his leadership and that P[h]nom Penh is not in danger. He
Official Gazette for May 21, 1970: President Marcos reasserted the supremacy of civilian over the military authority, pointing out that his administration has emphasized to the country’s soldiers that “they are servants of the people, and therefore subservient to the people’s will as represented by civilian authority.” This is in keeping, he said, with the principle of popular government where the people make the broad decisions, thus the constituted government and its leaders “must always act in partnership with the people.”
In a speech as guest of honor at the joint commencement exercises of the National Defense College of the Philippines and the Command and General Staff College of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, held at Camp Aguinaldo, the President asserted that the military, “being a part of government must therefore adhere unfailingly to this policy, and in every way possible extend and deepen this partnership.” (Full text of the President’s speech in OG.)
Back at Malacañang, the President resumed his paperwork, bat once again interrupted himself to receive several groups of students who came to present a number of petitions. He granted most of the petitions on the spot, including the certification of certain bills, many of which he had earlier certified already.
The rest of the day more or less followed his schedule, with consultations with aides and visiting officials, and receiving callers.
In the evening, the President received Admiral John S. McCain, Jr., commander-in-chief of the U.S. Pacific Forces and U.S. military adviser to SEATO, who paid a courtesy call.
Accompanied to Malacañang by U.S. Ambassador Henry Byroade and Rear Admiral Draper Kauffman, commander of the U.S. naval forces in the Philippines, Admiral McCain was on a brief stop-over in Manila enroute back to his headquarters in Honolulu after visits to Tokyo and Taipeh.
Among other actions, the President reappointed officials of the government whose nominations were by-passed by the Commission on Appointments, except members of certain government boards whose qualifications the President would like to review. Under the law, officials whose nominations were not confirmed by the Commission on Appointments cease to hold office upon the adjournment of Congress. The President made the reappointments to avoid possible disruption in the service.
In another speech the President affirmed the youth’s right to demand change, but urged that change should be pursued in the “libertarian tradition of Rizal and the reformers of his time.”
Speaking through Executive Secretary Alejandro Melchor, Jr. who read his speech, at the opening of the National Youth Congress sponsored by the YMCA of the Philippines, the President asked the gathering to “strengthen the case for reason and restraint in the revolution for reforms.” Contrasting the militants’ adherence to the Maoist dictum that “power grows out of the barrel of gun,” to Rizal’s advice to the young that “our hops lies in the education of our people, in their liberation from illiteracy, hunger and injustice,” the President said that Rizal is more relevant to our times. Saying that the YMCA of the Philippines is identified with the peaceful approach to change, he expressed confidence that one of the valuable contributions of the youth congress to the student movement is “to strengthen the case for reason and restraint in the revolution for reforms.”
believes that the Vietcong would require 6-8 months to replace what they have lost. But he believes the Cambodian Army is of no value.
They need military advisers more than arms although there is also need for arms.
There was a joint graduation of the National Defense College and the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] Command and General Staff College at Camp Aguinaldo where I spoke.