I write this at 4:00 PM
on board the 777
on the way to Iligan off Dao
after a visit at San Jose 11:30-3:00 PM.
Advance Party led by Kokoy returned
with the governor at 1:00 PM.
We were at the market place for a
meeting at 2:00 PM
We reached Sablayan at about 11:00 AM. While the helicopter reconnoitered for the helipad at the Penal Colony (me at first thought Davao Pt. was nearer the colony than Sablayan but the mayor who had boarded the 777 informed us that the penal colony was only a few kilometers (about six) southeast of Sablayan and the helicopter with Lt. Col. Lapeña and Capt. Asuncion, Crew member Arzadon confirmed this when they ferried our guns, Alfredo and Caloy in jungle suits to the penal colony which has a small grass runway where Dir. [Alejo] Santos and Gen. [Zosimo] Paredes landed in U-17s). Sablayan has no road connections with any other town. Its only feeder road is a self-help project of 4 kilometers to Bo. [Barrio] San Vicente where there is an old airfield (badly kept). Its transportation communication with other towns is by sea and by air. Its pier was badly battered by a tidal wave that came with the typhoons So I released P20,000 for it and P10,000 for the roads. Gave the usual credit cards for the barrios, medicine kits and bags of Christmas gifts.
We were irritated by some posters about me fooling the people and references to “Fred.” The sons of ex-mayors and the incumbent mayor are apparently activists belonging to the MDP [Movement for a Democratic Philippines] if not the ______.
But the people apparently to show their disregard for such “show-offs” and “palabas” cheered us lustily and clapped at every turn of my speech. I noted they liked the suggestion of land reform very much and showed it.
Bongbong and I went to the Penal Colony by helicopter. I was addressing the employees and prisoners at 1:00 PM wishing them a Merry Christmas and congratulating them (specially Superintendent Enriquez) for the attainment of self-sufficiency in the colony and cheering the prisoners who seemed to be a disciplined lot, with the announcement of liberalization of the policy of parole and pardon. I reminded them that I was held in the National Penitentiary for about a year on false charges and in concentration camp and Fort Santiago as a prisoner of war and so I understood their feelings—their frustrations, their hopes and dreams.
No Official Gazette entry for this day.
We bagged some teal and mountain ducks (small brown ones) in one of the lakes. We hiked about six kilometers to a cassava plantation where on a drive by some of the boys and employees, Bongbong shot a 100 pd. wild pig and the boys caught a 20 pounder alive. It was 3:45 by the time the picture taking of Bongbong straddling his wild pig was over. A truck (an old U.S. Army six by six) with make shift board seats brought us back to the colony administration buildings from the lake. We helicoptered direct to the ship where we triumphantly displayed our trophies of the hunt. We were ribbed by the girls that the “baboy ramo” looked fat enough to have been shot in a pig pen. But of course the pig is a wild pig with its tusks already starting to ferociously stick out of its outer lip and its mouth is pointed and its rear shanks lean.
For once we “brought home the bacon.” We had miserably failed in our hunt in Sibutu.
We had practically no lunch. So we ate at the ship, had a shower and I slept from 6:00 to 9:00.
We stayed up to 11:00 PM when after dinner the ship started to pitch and roll so much we all decided to go to bed.
Imelda is down with a cold which is developing into a flu. She has been taking Decolgen and now she took an anti-biotic. Eurothricin.[Erythromycin]