**This page in transcript has no holograph.
12:35 AM
I accepted the resignation of Vice Pres. [Fernando] Lopez this morning. I attach my letter of acceptance. But before I received his letter of resignation or more accurately said before he reiterated his resignation verbally, the radio was already announcing his resignation and The Daily Mirror headlined it as the Lopezes had leaked it out to [Armando] Doronila, the columnist.
The day has been active and full. For the head-on collision with the Lopezes has occupied me and my men.
At 1:30 PM after meeting with Monet Nolan and Ambassador Ernesto Lagdameo on the sugar problem and the routine visitors, I had lunch with the members of the House.
No original source for this entry can be found in any of the collections. Where this transcript came from is unknown.
Official Gazette for January 14, 1971: President Marcos held a number of conferences with members of his cabinet and later, at way past noon, with Nacionalista congressmen. Among the President’s late morning callers was Vice President Fernando Lopez, who offered his resignation. The President accepted the resignation. Both men were mutually agreed that it was untenable for the Vice President to remain in the cabinet in view of his relationship with the pressure group which the President has exposed. The President assured Vice President Lopez that there was nothing personal in his acceptance of the latter’s resignation. “You and I have been in the best relations,” the President. “But your position in the Cabinet has now become untenable in view of your relationship with the financial and political interests that I have identified as constituting a pressure group intent upon the destruction of my development program.”
In an interview with newsmen later in the day, the President said he was serving notice on all other pressure groups that he would not be pressured by anyone into granting favors and concessions to vested groups against the interest of the people. Within the hour of the Vice President’s resignation, the President swore in Undersecretary Arturo Tanco, Jr. as secretary of agriculture and natural resources.
The President then sat down at a belated luncheon with Nacionalista members of the House of Representatives with whom he discussed, among others, closer coordination between the Presidential Economic Staff and those of the Senate and House of Representatives, solution of the corn shortage in Cebu and Leyte, faster processing and release of land titles, and the strike situation.
He enjoined the NP congressmen to close ranks and to make the coming regular session of Congress a “session of achievements.”
The congressmen were led by Speaker Jose B. Laurel Jr. and Speaker Protempore Jose. Aldeguer.
Government officials who conferred ‘with the President earlier in the day were Secretary of Foreign Affairs Carlos P. Romulo, Secretary of Finance Cesar E. A. Virata and Secretary of National Defense Juan Ponce Enrile. They reported on their respective departments.
The President also received Tetuo Takashima, president of the Japanese Floating Fair, who called to pay his respects and to invite the President to the inauguration of the fair.
Also received by the President was Ambassador-at-large Ramon Nolan who called for final instructions before leaving for Washington, D.C. With Nolan was Philippine ambassador to Washington, Ernesto Lagdameo.
In the evening, the President had another meeting with the leaders of the striking jeepney drivers in his continuing effort to put an end to the strike.
Other than conferring on the usual congressional requests like the appointment of judges, we discussed the problem of subversion and of cooperation on substantial measures for the solution of the explosive social situation.
I painted the true picture – that while subversives cannot mount a rebellion to take over government, there was proof of the radicals having acquired guns and explosives. So, we should expect more revolutionary activities in the form of sabotage this year with the peak in July or August. This shocked them into unity. “We must cling together or we will hang together.”
So they all assured full support for me and our basic policies. But they wanted more consultations. Which we will hold.
Today I signed the undated proclamation of martial law und gave a copy to Sec. [Juan] Ponce Enrile so that if anything happens to me, he (whom I have appointed as Deputy Commander in Chief and the Chief of Staff, Gen. Manuel T. Yan as Assistant Deputy Commander in Chief) can execute and implement the proclamation.
I met with Boni de Luna and Gilvera? of the striking drivers at about 9:30 PM and we agreed that tomorrow, the Price Control Council will meet at 9:00 AM and after hearing declare all price increases as unauthorized and all prices to return to pre-Villegas rates and after the stations are notified, the strike will be lifted and the panel with three strike leaders as representatives will determine the reasonable prices for all oil commodities in three days.
I hope that the absence of Atty. Lupiño Lazaro will not block the agreement.
I attach reports on the economic situation.