January 9, 1970

Friday

[p.20] [Jose B.] Laurel and [Gil] Puyat and even [Cornelio] Villareal say: “There is only one elector we have to campaign for and win—and he is Malacañang.”

Breakfast with Speaker Laurel, Speaker Pro Tempore Jose Aldeguer and Majority Floor Leader Marcelino Veloso. Told him of the drift towards the Left and the fear of political leaders, businessmen and the military that we are not taking steps to prevent it but are instead encouraging it. He has agreed to remove Emmanuel Yap, head of Cepo [Congressional Economic Planning Office] and his next in rank, [Alejandro] Lichauco.

Then met with former Speaker Villareal and Com. on Appro. [House Committee on Appropriations] Chairman Jose Alberto who agreed that we call a Nacionalista House Members caucus on Tuesday, Jan. 13th 10:00 AM at [Bahay] Pangarap. I intend to interview the different blocs and see who is supported by the majority.

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27  Official Gazette for January 9, 1970:  The Presidential pace visibly quickened as he met various congressional leaders, received a sizeable delegation of citizens and individual groups from various sectors, while in-between putting in a full day’s work at his desk. The President started the day off with a working breakfast attended by Speaker Jose Laurel, Jr., Speaker Pro Tempore Jose Aldeguer and Majority Floor Leader Marcelino Veloso, during which the legislative program was discussed and priority legislation eyed by the administration threshed out. After this meeting, the President began his desk work, firing off several directives on such matters as the reported land-grabbing cases in Laguna, and the reappointment of members of government examination boards.

  At mid-morning, the President began receiving private visitors, among them Earl Mazo of the U. S. News Digest; executives of the Standard Fruit Co., and a farmer, Primitivo Aclan, who presented the President with his millionth bunch of bananas, grown on his 7-hectare farm, The Standard Fruit executives were: Geronimo Velasco, president, and Charles Bauman, executive vice president. This meeting was followed with a conference with Rep. Cornelio Villareal and Gov. Cornelio Villareal, Jr. of Capiz, both of whom took up local problems. Then the President received a 500-man delegation of Batanes folk, composed of prominent civic and community leaders, and including students from that province studying in Manila. As a result of the meeting, the President ordered a special team of NBI agents to probe the reported terrorism by goons in that province and bring to heel the malefactors. In this connection, he froze all movements of transportation in that province, after being informed by delegation members that goons usually clear out when probers show up, only to return after the government men leave the province.

  While engaged in paper work, the President signed the appointment of DBP Chairman Gregorio S. Licaros as governor of the Central Bank, vice Alfonso Calalang, who has resigned.The President also reappointed a total of 30 chairmen and members of Boards of Examiners for different professions and of the Board of Pardons and Parole. Reappointed were:  1. Eric C. Nubia and Tomas Arguelles as Members of the Board of Examiners for Architects; 2.  Petronilo Gaitos, Jr. as chairman of the Board of Examiners for Chemical Engineers. 3. Jones R. Castro and David P. Cruz as chairman and member, respectively, of the Board of Examiners for Mining Engineers; 4. Socorro A. Gillera as chairman, and Rafaelina T. Legaspi and Patrocinio S. Santos as members of the Board of Examiners for Pharmacists; and 5. Dean Vicente Abad Santos and Catalino Macaraeg as members of the Board of Pardons and Parole.

But we must not allow the Nacionalista Party to split up on these rivalries. We must keep our old cohesion. So I also intend to call Pres. Pro Temp. Jose Roy, rival of Pres. Puyat for the Presidency of the Senate.

A demonstration of Batanes students—about 500 asked for arrest of those still terrorizing would-be witnesses. They claim PC [Philippine Constabulary] helpless. So I have ordered the NBI deputy chief, Ponciano Fernando, to personally go with 12 PC men who are from Batanes, to obtain evidence against, identify, arrest and prosecute all the alleged terrorists. I challenged the young men and women to fight for their rights by testifying and convincing their relatives, friends and fellow Batanesenios to testify.

I am happy that my speech before the Rotary yesterday noon on Open Skies for one year and lifting of the suspension of loans for mining and new export oriented industries has been taken well.

I can feel the confidence surging back to our people. Standard remark was: “We did not know that this was being done. We are glad he is President.” Soft-soap but gratifying.

[p.21] Earl Mazo, Nixon’s biographer, has just interviewed me and he says Imelda and I are so high above the newspapers and the crowd now that we should not be concerned what the papers print because if it is bad, the people will not believe it anyway.

Two questions have come up in his interview:

  1.Are the U.S. military bases in the Philippines a deterrent or a magnet to bombing and/or nuclear attack. The Recto and Laurel position is that they are more magnets not deterrents and are not only useless but prejudicial to Philippine national interest. I personally believe that now, with the present nuclear capability of Red China and the ABM buildup of the U.S., we need the bases for the defense of the Philippines. If China had not developed its nuclear capability, we would not need them. Pres. Nixon explained to me last March when Imelda and I attended the Eisenhower memorial services in Washington D.C. how the U.S. would use the ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile) to counter-act a nuclear threat from Red China.

  2. What will happen to our economy, specially the sugar industry, if the U.S. does not extend our special preferences. (Of course the sugar industry would collapse because special preferences or the quota given us in the American market allows us to sell our sugar at the favored price of 7 cents a pound as against 3 cents a pound in the world market. And our cost of production is from 3 to 4 cents a pound. Our dollar earnings from sugar alone is $160 million out of a total dollar earnings of $1.5 billion.