Malacañang Palace
[p.45] I have been able to settle the Senate Presidency at 3:30 PM. [Gil] Puyat remains and [Jose] Roy becomes Executive Vice President of the Nacionalista Party as well as President Pro Tempore. [Arturo] Tolentino remains as majority floor leader.
We have organized the panel of lawyers to handle the defense in the protest filed by Osmeña. They are Ex-Chief Justice [Ricardo] Paras, Ex-Justice [Roman] Ozaeta, Don Quintin Paredes, Dean Vicente Abad Santos, Joe [Jose] Africa and my classmate Ramon Aquino. The offices of [Lorenzo] Tañada, [Emmanuel] Pelaez and others who are as senators disqualified from appearing before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, will be listed as appearing as counsel for me. Offices will be established at the Northern Lines Bldg. Jose Africa will be the Vice Chairman of the panel; possibly Ex-Justice Ozaeta will be the chairman.
A disturbing piece of news from Joe [Jose] Maristela is that Gens. [Rafael] Ileto and [Felizardo] Tanabe have promised support to the [Eleuterio] Adevoso junta in their assassination and coup d’etat planning. We must check this and neutralize them. But I will first personally meet with Joe Maristela tomorrow night.
This is compounded by the fact that the prices will necessarily go up if we set free the rate of exchange. Then we will impose more taxes and for the next six months we will not be able to relax credit or government expenses, nor imports. I must increase the entry of tax free goods into the Free Trade Zone and soon.
49 Official Gazette for January 22, 1970: President Marcos attended the meeting of the Nacionalista Party Junta and later presided at the caucus of NP senators, as titular head of the Nacionalista Party.
The four-hour long sessions, held at the Pangarap, across the Pasig from Malacañang, engaged the President’s attention and concern, particularly because of the spirited rivalry for the Senate leadership. But all ended well, as the conferees reached consensus on Senator Gil J. Puyat as the NP choice for Senate president. It was also agreed that Senator Jose J. Roy will be acting NP president.
The President first attended the Junta meeting, then had a caucus with the NP senators: later he
sat down with Senators Roy, Puyat, and Arturo Tolentino. All the meetings were private. The President then met individually with the other senators present, namely: Senators Lorenzo M. Tañada, Magnolia W. Antonino, Rene Espina, Salvador Laurel, Ambrosio Padilla, Helena Z. Benitez, Dominador Aytona, Lorenzo Sumulong, Wenceslao R. Lagumbay, Eva Estrada Kalaw, Lorenzo Teves, and Leonardo Perez.
The Junta members present were Speaker Jose B. Laurel, Jr., Gov. Isidro Rodriguez of Rizal, Mayor Leroy Brown of Basilan City, Rep. Jose Aldeguer, OEC Administrator Constancio Castaneda, who is NP secretary-general; Gov. Conrado Estrella of Land Authority, former SWA Administrator Francisco E. F. Remotigue, House Majority leader Marcelino Veloso, RCA Chairman Alfredo Montelibano, Sr., and Leyte Gov. Benjamin Romualdez, assistant NP secretary-general. Also present were former President Carlos P. Garcia and Vice President Lopez. Earlier the President worked at his desk to dispose of urgent state papers, and after the meetings with the NP leaders, he returned” to” his study to continue his desk work.
50 Chronicle headlines: Puyat retains Senate post Roy new NP head, Diokno asks abolition of US bases.