The congressmen close to me, Cong. [Eduardo] Cojuangco [Jr.], Frisco San Juan, [Mohammad] Ali Dimaporo, Jose Aspiras, Navarro, Lucas Cauton, Roque Ablan all pressed for the use of my emergency powers. “We cannot understand why you are so patient. Do not wait until we are completely debilitated and the people is [sic] against us. It will be too late. One swift blow and we remove the cancer from our society,” they all said.
I could only answer that it may be sooner than we think.
For violence erupted in Plaza Miranda and other places in the city this afternoon up to tonight. Confirmed casualties are 14 injured including one policeman and two troopers hit by Molotov cocktails (which cocktails according to Gen. [Mariano] Ordoñez were twice the force of a land grenade) and one confirmed killed and another possibly killed.
Atty. Lupiño Lazaro who called me up while I was having dinner with the congressmen at about 9:30 PM claimed the drivers were not involved as he dispersed them at 2:00 PM and the violence started at 5:00 PM which was true. But the radical left,
Official Gazette for January 13, 1971: President Marcos had a well-spaced schedule of callers which allowed him to attend to urgent official papers, and other matters of state long enough before they came in.
The President worked at his desk after having breakfast. At about 10:30 a.m., he disengaged from paper work to receive European financiers accompanied by Rep. Roque Ablan, Jr. of Ilocos Norte. The visitors, Georges Gedilaghine of the Hanover Building and Banking Corporation and Regis Benezit of the French Society for the Expansion of Commerce and Industry, offered European dollar loans for massive low-cost housing projects and other development purposes. The financiers assured the President that they would be ready to meet the conditions and requirements set by the International Monetary Fund for exchange borrowings by the Philippines. The President expressed his appreciation for the offer, particularly the development of low-cost housing projects and of Corregidor as a tourist spot, since massive low-cost housing and the promotion of the tourist industry are two of the government’s major projects. He endorsed the offer to his fiscal advisers for study.
Another caller was Ryotaro Sato, son of Prime Minister Eisaku Sato of Japan and vice president of Asia Off-Shore Drilling, who informed him that his firm, in collaboration with the Zapata-Norgess and the Oriental Petroleum of the Philippines, will start oil exploration off Palawan beginning March 1.
Also received by the President was Vincent Stott, TWA vice president and director of the Pacific Air Travel Association who called to pay his respects. Stott arrived to make arrangements for the PATA workshop on January 21-23 in Baguio City and conference on January 24-29 in Manila.
Among other callers were Rep. Manuel Zosa of Cebu, and seven municipal mayors from Cotabato who discussed with him urgent matters concerning their areas of jurisdiction.
The President received his callers up to well past noon. He resumed his paper work later in the afternoon.
He resumed his paper work later in the afternoon.
mostly students, did take over from the drivers. Lazaro sent Bert Moran to explain to me that he will try to stop the strike tomorrow.
I made an appeal for the media not to farther exacerbate passions, to report fairly and honestly. I begged the pressure groups who are reported to be financing and egging them to violence to desist in the name of the people, for the communists are taking advantage of the chaos and confusion.
I attach my outline and the report of Adrian Cristobal on the publishers’ meeting at Meralco yesterday.
On January 13 1971 Marcos met in Malacañang with a collection of labor groups loyal to him, vowing to “crush the Lopez oligarchy.” On the same day the km led violent protests against the oil price hike in Manila and police opened fire on the demonstrators, killing four.” Scalice, 437.