I write on the new stationery ordered by Imelda, guaranteed not to disintegrate in ten years as ordinary bond paper is supposed to.
Met with the leaders of both houses of Congress on the priority listing of bills to be approved in the third special session set Sept. 7, 1970. The twelve bills approved in the caucus of July 30th are to be approved but I seriously doubt if the Senate who was represented by Sen. Pres. Pro Tempore Jose Roy can act on more than five bills. Speaker Pro Tempore Jose Aldeguer led the congressmen.
Then had an interview (covered by television) by the Business Writers on the economic situation and monetary stability. We announced the approval by the Executive Board of the World Bank of the petition to exempt all export-oriented industries from the loan ceiling of $100 million.
This afternoon I worked on the abaca pulp and paper projects, the Free Trade Zone and the Mariveles port as well as the policy on distressed banks.
Imelda is bothered by the [Carmen] Chit Navarro-Pedrosa book which is libelous in that it downgrades her father as a failure and Imelda as a week-end pleasure seeker with her beaus. It does not bother me but should be left to the courts.
Official Gazette for August 12, 1970: President Marcos had a fuller day than usual, with a formal ceremony, important, conferences, and a television interview on his schedule, apart from the usual desk work.
Early in the morning, he had a closed-door conference with Secretary of Foreign Affairs Carlos P. Romulo, Secretary of Justice Vicente Abaci Santos, Secretary of Public Works and, Communications Manuel B. Syquio, Undersecretary of National Defense Efren Plana, and Postmaster General Enrico Palomar.
At mid-morning, he met Congress leaders to chart the agenda of the third special session of Congress. Following this meeting, he received at a formal ceremony the credentials of Don Jose Maria Soriano, the new envoy to the Philippines of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. After working at his desk for a while, he video-taped on interview with a panel of business writers for “Business Today.”
The panel included Jesus Bustamante of the Herald, Rey Naval of the Chronicle, Satur C. Ocampo of the Manila, Times, Leo P. Gonzaga of the Finance Journal-Daily Mirror, Arthur Sales of the Bulletin, and Angelesio Tugado of the Times. Also present were Secretary of Finance Cesar E. A. Virata and Central Bank Gov. Gregorio S. Licaros.
In the afternoon and through the evening the President worked at his desk.