This is a strange situation we are facing. The radicals who wish to overthrow government are allied with the oligarchies who want to preserve their privileges.
This is confirmed by Atty. Lupiño Lazaro who narrated how the radicals, Eric Baculinao, Crispin Aranda, [Vic] Clemente and the moderates headed by NUSP’s [National Union of Students of the Philippines] [Edgar] Jopson met at the ABS-CBN
Official Gazette for January 19, 1971: PRESIDENT MARCOS met Nationalists senators at a working lunch to map out the priorities in the administration’s legislative program to be submitted to the regular session of Congress this year.
The Chief Executive recommended that action on bills taken according to this order of priority:
1. The bill banning the import of luxury items.
2. The agrarian reform and cooperatives bill.
3. A consolidated bill on housing.
4. The Petroleum Exploration Act.
5. A. bill providing for educational reforms.
6. A bill creating the State Trading Corporation.
7. A bill imposing a tax on affluent consumption.
The Oil Commission bill, which was Number 1 in the priority listing submitted by Speaker Jose B. Laurel, Jr., had already been passed by the Senate.
However, the President informed the senators that he had instructed the Department of justice and the Presidential Economic Staff to prepare an anti-trust bill for consideration of both the Senate and the House, as a complementary measure.
On land reform the Chief Executive said that the Reorganization Commission has recommended formation of a Commission on Land Reform, and that action on the bill on agrarian reform will probably depend on the approval of the reorganization plan.
He also suggested a series of meetings with senators and representatives on the reorganization plan, which must be submitted within 40 days of the opening of the regular session of Congress.
The President suggested that a caucus be held at the end of the month, followed by two other meetings in February, so that the reorganization plan can be finalized and submitted to Congress on time.
The Petroleum Exploration Act would change from lease to service contract the permit to explore, for oil in the country. Under this system, the concession remains a property of the state unlike in the lease contract. This will also increase the share of the government m the profits.
The President underscored the importance of an improved educational system by pointing out that under the present system, high school graduates could not get employment, because they do not have job skills. That is why, he added, there has to be a manpower training program.
Present during the meeting were Senate President Protempore Jose J. Roy, Senate Majority Floorleader Arturo M. Tolentino, Senators Rene Espina, Dominador R. Aytona. Alejandro D. Almendras, Wenceslao R. Lagumbay, Ambrosio Padilla, Lorenzo Sumulong, Lorenzo M. Tañada, Lorenzo G. Teves, Salvador H. Laurel, Leonardo B. Perez, Eva Estrada-Kalaw and Helena Z. Benitez.
Other presidential activities included the usual calls, among them those Vice Speaker Speaker of the House of Representatives of Indonesia, who paid his respects; Charge d’Affaires Nguyen Van Loc of South Vietnam, who handcarried a painting from Vietnam’s Senate President, as a memento for the President.
The President also inducted the officers of the Philippine Cigarette Manufacturers Association, headed by Ralph Nubia; as well as Eric Nubia, as chairman of the board of examiners for architecture.
The Chief Executive did his usual office work in between these activities.
press room mapping out strategy. And he was castigated by them for sending away the drivers at 2:00 PM on Jan. 13th before the violence started.
Again Atty. Bonifacio de Luna of the Philippine Confederation of Drivers further confirmed this tonight.
And he added the information that Atty. Lazaro is after nothing but money. He promised de Luna 1/3 of what he makes.
So Lazaro and the other leader Gervero are going to block the amicable settlement of the gasoline price problem unless they are paid. And we should not permit this.
Lazaro asked P300,000 and came all the way down to P100,000 according to Atty. Siguion Reyna on the evening of June 12th before the demonstrations of June 13th.
But I have asked Atty. de Luna to separate from the Lazaro and Gervero group and we will extend him all aid to organize a cooperative. At the same time we will ask the oil companies to see to it that the P5 million trust fund should not look as if they are the source of the money as the drivers will not accept it. And P1 million should be set aside for the organization of cooperatives.
The price of regular gasoline should be kept at the present level but premium can be raised provided that steps should be taken to limit the sale of regular gasoline at present prices to public utilities only.
I also met the oil executives to get them to agree to settle the matter of gasoline prices quietly without of course discontinuing the hearings of the Price Control Council.
We should not talk of extending the period of seven days to work out an agreement before we have exhausted all efforts to do so. Bung [Arturo] Tanco [Jr.] will first meet with the drivers’ leaders to find out what is acceptable to them then submit it to the oil executives.
I had the senators (Nacionalista) for lunch this noon. Everyone attended except Sen. Jose Diokno who is a [on] retainer of Lopez and Sen. Pres. Gil Puyat and Mamintal Tamano who are in Indonesia. Present were Sen. Arturo Tolentino, Lorenzo Tañada, Sen. Pres. Pro Tempore Jose Roy, Eva Estrada Kalaw, Leonardo Perez, Dominador Aytona, Lorenzo Teves, Rene Espina, Salvador Laurel, Lorenzo Sumulong, Ambrosio Padilla, Wenceslao Lagumbay, Alejandro Almendras and Helen Benitez.
They were unanimously in favor of trade with Russia, three were in favor of diplomatic relations (Tañada, Laurel and Teves who was even in favor of diplomatic relations with Red China) and three in favor of trade and consular relations (which would not include diplomatic immunity). These last three were Sumulong who suggested it, Roy and Kalaw.
Sen. Arturo Tolentino repeated his observation he had made in the caucus of congressional leaders that the people may not be ready for it; that everybody he talked to were against it because of fear of Russian infiltration; that we could go at it by stages.
When I asked Tañada on the Lopez imbroglio he commented, “Just follow the law.”
We agreed on priorities on the legislative program—import ban on luxuries, agricultural reform by cooperatives, affluent consumption tax, oil commission, oil prospecting, national or state trading corporation.
Commander Melody [Benjamin Bie Jr.] was captured last night by Lt. Col. [Romeo] Gatan, Provincial Commander of Tarlac, and his men at Valenzuela, Bulacan with the aid of Boy Car Sison who was captured in Tarlac several days earlier. When surrounded and faced with a cocked pistol he offered no resistance. The boys of Cong. Eduardo Cojuangco helped.
We have not announced the capture as we are going to use Commander Melody who is next in rank only to Commander Dante [Bernabe Buscayno], to capture both Jose Maria Sison and Dante.
I personally made him pledge to this mission with his family held as guarantors.
Imelda is busy organizing our supporters and leaders lo bring delegations of five, ten and twenty thousand people to fill up the safety belt around Congress on the 25th, to keep the radicals away and show that we have the support of the people in our drive against the oligarchies and robber barons.