7:20 PM as I await the
dinner for Mr. J. George
Harrar, Pres. of the
Rockefeller Foundation
The jeepney drivers’ strike has failed to stop traffic but the radical students at UP [University of the Philippines], [University of] Sto. Tomas and Ateneo [de Manila University] starting woodfires: At the UP red flag at the Art and Science Bldg., Oblation statue painted red, all entrances to UP barricaded, woodfire at Vinzons Hall which was occupied by combined QCPD [Quezon City Police District] and Metrocom [Metropolitan Command] with 3 students arrested and one Metrocom man hurt due to pillbox explosion; at 1630 hrs. situation at Legarda-Recto becoming unruly; at 1633[h] students at UP burned sentry gate (entrance to Balara); while students from Ateneo stopping all vehicles passing Katipunan Road.
I attach Reports Nos. 3 and 4 as well as 5 of the Advance Command Post of the Presidential Security Command.
The violence will probably continue as the students desperately shore up their credibility in predicting paralization [sic] of all traffic and the media report their failure.
I tried out the jeep of R & D (Research and Development Br.) of the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] under Col. [Francisco] Baula fueled not by gasoline but with alcohol. Engine converted by a simple circular dollar size piece of metal from gas to alcohol.
I keep on pushing the prospecting of oil. Mr. [George] Guthrie of South Eastern Sierra Madre who will drill in the Cotabato Sarangani Peninsula paid me a courtesy call.
Then sought to settle the conflicts of congressmen and governors in Pangasinan, Albay, Agusan del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur.
Official Gazette for February 2, 1971: PRESIDENT MARCOS had a brisk stream of visitors to Malacañang, beginning with the private meeting he had with Secretary Manuel Elizalde, Jr. of PANAMIN. Prior to his meeting with the PANAMIN head, the President worked in his study going over state papers.
Among the day’s visitors were:
1 Officials of the Southeastern Sierra Madre Resources, who accompanied George L. Guthrie, a geologist, who assured the President of oil deposits on the company’s concession in Agusan. The officials of the firm present were Col. Jose P. Moran, president, and Alfonso Agcaoile, secretary.
2. Sen. Leonardo D. Perez, with whom the President conferred in private. Also present were Rep. Benjamin Perez and Constitutional Convention Delegate Demetrio Aquino.
3. A delegation from Pangasinan led by Reps. Corazon Primicias, Aguedo Agbayani, Robert Estrella and Antonio P. Villar, with whom the President took up local problems.
4. A delegation from Albay composed of Reps. Roberto Sabido, Carlos Imperial and Amando Cope. He discussed with them matters affecting their respective constituencies.
5. Col. Francisco V. Baula, who demonstrated how alcohol may be used to power a motor car engine. The President himself took the wheel of the test vehicle, a jeep, and drove it around the Malacañang grounds.
In between these callers and through the rest of the day, the President worked at his desk.
Imelda and I had lunch and a most intimate exchange of views at Suite I with Father Jose A. Cruz and Sister Felicidad Villareal.
Dr. and Mrs. J. George Harrar who is President of the Rockefeller Foundation is visiting the IRRI [International Rice Research Institute] and the Bay Medical Training Center for Rural Medical Practitioners and looking into the Population Center building for which the foundation would contribute $800,000 while we give a counterpart at the rate of one peso to the dollar. US AID [Agency for International Development] gives another $800,000 and Ford another $800,000.