Friday
Veterans Memorial Hospital
[p.33] Meldy’s cyst in the right breast has been removed and found benign—as the report says the mass is a fibrocystic disease. When Inday (Dr. Paciencia Disini) brought out the specimen, I was shocked at the size. It was about three inches by eight inches and a quarter of an inch thick. Dr. Pantangco and Ferriols were the pathologist[s]. Dr. Pacifico Yap assisted by Dr. Uy performed the operation. Dr. Quintin Gomez was the anesthesiologist assisted by Inday. Present were the heart specialists, Dr. Juanita Zagala and Dr. Pedro Cruz.
We slept at the hospital last night at about 11:30 and woke up at 5:00 AM when she was injected with some sedatives. Operation started at about 6:15, frozen section after 15 minutes and finished (sutured) at about 7:00 AM. A little depression was left at the site but the opening was only about three inches long. Reinstated my appointments for the day and met with the different chambers of commerce who have a better offering cooperation, the Provincial Press Federation, Bishop [Mariano] Gaviola and Mr. [Takeshi] Watanabe, the President of the Asian Development Bank. The whole city is still talking about the supposed rift between the sugar bloc and me. Yesterday [Roberto] Bobby Benedicto went to see [Alfredo] Piding Montelibano [Sr.], called me by phone and I talked to Piding who was ill with influenza and he promised to come and see me at the Palace on Monday.
[p.34] We were all agreed that the cyst of Meldy was benign as it had not changed in size for the last two years and in fact has actually reduced in size. But she was beginning to contaminate everyone with her tension including me.
39 Official Gazette for January 16, 1970: President Marcos in the morning received a few callers at the Executive Hall, and worked on state papers the rest of the day. At 10 a.m., the President met with officials of the Philippine Council of the International Chamber of Commerce, led by Dr. Manuel Lim, who called to submit formally their written pledge of support to the President’s program of government. Later, the President inducted the new set of officers of the Federation of Provincial Press Clubs of the Philippines, headed by Felipe Delfin of the Aklan Press-Radio Club, the federation president. Other callers of the President were Msgr. Mariano Gaviola of the Catholic Bishops Conference, Consul Jose Teodoro of the Philippines Consulate in Seattle, President Takeshi Watanabe of the Asian Development Bank, and acting Secretary of Public Works and Communications Manuel B. Syquio. Secretary Syquio reported personally on the fire that occurred at the Post Office building the previous night.
The President, in a speech read for him in the evening by Chairman Cesar E. A. Virata of the Board of Investments at the anniversary dinner of the Philippine Society of Mining, Metallurgical, and Geological Engineers and the Geological Society of the Philippines, said that the development of the mining industry will continue to receive greater encouragement and support from the government, it being one of the brightest and must dependable hopes of the country’s economy.
”We must new make a bold and purposeful effort to realize its fullest potential for the nation,” the President added. The President however said that while the government is ready to give the industry the. support it needs, the leadership in spurring it must still come from the mining engineers.
Meldy is resting well and ate Chinese lugao from Ralph tonight. Bongbong kept us in stitches with stories of his first dance and the children’s parties he has attended. Horrors, Mother says she will be 77 next month and feels like 20 after Dr. Meliano and Switzerland. What a lot of these people in this room would give to feel like 20 specially Zita Feliciano who is trying to peep into my diary. All these women around here, I bet are all wondering if they have lumps in their breasts. Yesterday there was a demonstration of students from the Central University, Phil. [Philippine] Normal School and Phil. College of Arts and Trades for the release [of] P6.5 million and the appointment of their own choice of President for the Central University. Tonight Ignacio Lacsina led a thousand demonstrators in what Gen. [Vicente] Raval says is a month-long demonstration against the administration and the various govt [government] agencies like the PC [Philippine Constabulary] against alleged partisanship of the PC for the Northern Motors in the strike there. Ordered an investigation. Ordered Gen. Raval to follow-up the plan I directed to set up alarm systems in the barrios under the BHDF [Barrio Home Defense Force].
40 Manila Chronicle reported on a scuffle during the rally.
41 In Malacanang copy of the manuscript the last three paragraphs on this page look different, either another pen was used, or it has something to do with the photocopying, or was there cut and paste in the original? In other copies it looks like one seamless page.