Dinner for Rear Admiral and Mrs. Draper Kauffman. Awarded him the Phil. Legion of Honor with Degree of Commander. Nice couple.
Foreign Policy Council Meeting at 8:30 AM for the report of the delegation to the Djakarta conference. We decided to send humanitarian aid through the Red Cross to Cambodia, the government sector to contribute not more than half a million. Sec. [Carlos] Romulo reported that the Cambodians had shown documents showing that Sihanouk had leased portions of Cambodia to the North Vietnamese.
Official Gazette for May 22, 1970: President Marcos highlighted his working day with a meeting with the Foreign Policy Council to hear the report of the Philippine delegation to the Jakarta talks on Cambodia, headed by Secretary of Foreign Affairs Carlos P. Romulo. The Council agreed with the observation of the Philippine delegation that the Jakarta meeting had been useful in gathering the views of 11 foreign ministers representing 350 million people, concerning a situation of immediate concern to the region.
The Council confirmed the support expressed earlier by the Philippine delegation in Jakarta to the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to organize a bigger conference on Indochina. The Council confirmed its earlier decision of May 12, that the government is against the sending of military aid to Cambodia. The Council favored the sending of humanitarian aid within the framework of a people to people aid program, through the facilities of the Red Cross.
In this regard, the council recalled the well-known humanitarian work of “Operations Pakikisama,” which was instrumental in collecting private donations of clothing, food and medicines in the Philippines for distribution among the displaced population of South Vietnam. It was proposed that humanitarian aid to Cambodia be undertaken along a similar line, under the immediate auspices of civic entities.
Present at the meeting were Vice President. Fernando Lopez, Secretary of National Defense Juan Ponce Enrile, Executive Secretary Alejandro Melchor, Jr., Secretary of Justice Felix Makasiar, Press Secretary Francisco S. Tatad, Senate President Protempore Jose J. Roy, Speaker Pro-tempore Jose Aldeguer, Senator Gerardo M. Roxas, Senator Lorenzo M. Tañada; House Majority Floor Leader Marcelino Veloso, Representative Nicanor Yñiguez, Representative Justiniano S Montano, former Secretaries of foreign Affairs Narciso Ramos and Salvador P. Lopez, Hans Menzi of the Bulletin, Joaquin Roces of the TimesPublications, Leon O. Ty of the Examiner and Melchor Aquino of the Evening News.
The rest of the President’s day was divided between desk work, receiving visitors, and ceremonies wherein he conferred honors on two military men who have rendered valuable services to the country.
The President also inducted six new officials, namely, Juan D. Manuel, as undersecretary of education: Mrs. Liceria Soriano, director of Public Schools Clodoaldo Leocadio, assistant director of Public Schools; Federico Ablan, Jr., administrator, Civil Aeronautics Administration; Mario R. Reyes administrator, National Cottage Industries Development Authority; and Pompeyo Gregorio, executive secretary, State Scholarships Council.
He conferred the Legion of Honor on South Korean General Mun Hyong Tae, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the armed forces of Korea, at a ceremony held at Malacañang in the morning; and in the evening conferred the same award on Admiral Draper Kauffman, commander of U.S. Naval Forces in the Philippines.
Among his callers today was a group of newsmen composing the Department of National Defense press corps, who petitioned him to retain Brigadier General Eduardo Garcia as PC chief. In the group were Alex Allan of the Chronicle, Rod Villa of theTimes, J. Panesa of the PNS, C. Vega of the Taliba, Teddy Africa of the Herald, Tony Sicat of the Daily Star, and Joe de Vera of the Bulletin.
[Gerardo] Gerry Roxas again attended and seemed in a pleasant mood.
Mass for the crash victims, Boy Tuason whose wife Mercy was a Blue Lady, Peggy Lim, Andy Roxas, etc. at 7:30 AM, the breakfast where Ting [Sixto] Roxas suggested a salary tax of 5% for the capital of National Housing Bank for housing. Told him to prepare the bill and submit it to me on Monday.
Conference at 2:00 PM after a hasty lunch at Bongbong’s room who is now much better—no fever. Golf at 6:30-7:30 then dinner at 8:00 PM for the Kauffmans.