I ordered the withdrawal of the Metrocom [Metropolitan Command] and the QCPD
Official Gazette for February 3, 1971: President Marcos met with a delegation of fishermen from around Manila Bay who sought the government’s assistance in preventing illegal fishing and in modernizing their fishing paraphernalia. In answer to their appeals, the President issued a series of directives to various government agencies, such as:
1. The PC and the Philippine Coast Guard to intensify their campaign against dynamite fishing and other illegal methods, and to apprehend all violators of fishing laws. 2. Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources Arturo R. Tanco, Jr. to restudy carefully Administrative Order No. 99 with the view to recommending amendment on the basis of biological studies to be made by the fisheries commissioner. 3. Creation of a Joint Task Force composed of representatives of the Fisheries Commission, the Chief of the PC and the Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard for the immediate and full implementation of the provisions of Republic Act No. 804S and Fisheries Commission Administrative Order No. 99 regarding the bagnet operators and trawlers over three tons net. who were not included in the injunction orders issued by com petent courts.4. The Philippine Coast Guard to utilize members of the Federation of Small Fisherman’s Association in the enforcement of fishing laws. 5. The Central Bank to immediately study the feasibility of adopting a special financing program through the IBRD for small fishermen and to submit its recommendation in seven days. 6. The Greater Manila Terminal Food Market to carry on bulk trading with the small fishermen,
The fishermen’s group, which was composed of fishermen from Cavite, Rizal, Bulacan and Pampanga, was led by Naic Mayor Macario Peña, Ben Santos of the Citizens for Better Cavite; Valerico Arzadon, president of the Parañaque Small Fisherman’s Association; and Basilio Francisco of the Tondo Federation of Fishermen.
Earlier in the day, the President named two local officials from, Romblon and Dumaguete City.
Appointed were Senen F. Fanio, as member of the provincial board of Romblon; and Ostervaldo Z. Emilio, as member of the municipal board of Dumaguete.
Among others, the President proclaimed Fridays February 5, 1971 as a special, public holiday in the provinces of Lanao del Sur and Sulu, and in the cities of Basilan, Marawi and Iligan, in connection with the. feast of “Bidul Adh-ha Almubabak.” Later in the afternoon, the President ordered the withdrawal of METROCOM troops and Quezon City policemen from the campus of the University of the Philippines in Diliman to ease tension prevailing there resulting from the activists barricading the UP campus. The Chief Executive, however, gave UP President Salvador P. Lopez the responsibility for the maintenance of the peace and order within the university campus.
[Quezon City Police District] under Col. [Tomas] Karingal from the UP campus. It turns out that there are no Metrocom troopers in the campus and only 6 policemen of QC at the gate. There was no take-over by the military as claimed by the newspapers. The QCPD through Maj. Clemente and six men intervened only when the students having set up barricades in University Road set fire to Prof. Innocente Campos[‘s car] and the latter shot at some of the students. The QC Fire Department was not allowed to go in to put out the fires that had been started. There having been a crime committed and danger of more crimes being committed, the police went in.
Maj. Clemente and his six policemen were pinned down by rifle fire near the two dormitories which turned out to be ladies dormitories. So they called for Metrocom troopers. Nine arrived. They cleared the dormitories. But they did not enter the basement which was full of students because they wanted to avert further trouble. They left the campus instead.
A senatorial committee (apparently the Committee on Education) composed of Sens. [Lorenzo] Tañada, [Helena] Benitez and [Mamintal] Tamano came to see me representing the whole group which had gone to the UP at 3:00 PM and found that there was no military take-over. However seven students had somehow infiltrated the UP Library which is the best library in the Philippines and threatened to burn the library if any action was taken to turn them out.
The request to the QCPD to clear the University Road which is a national highway came from the inhabitants of the university community who do not ride taxis or private cars but only buses. The barricades were removed yesterday. But they were back again this morning.
[Manila] Mayor [Antonio] Villegas called up to say he and Mayors [Norberto] Amoranto [of Quezon City], [Jovito] Claudio [of Pasay] and Caloocan [Mayor Macario Asistio] were coming to pledge cooperation in the peace and order drive. They come tomorrow at 10:00 AM.
I met the Federation of Free Fishermen whose spokesman was Mayor [Macario] Peña of Naic, Cavite on dynamite fishing, Vice Pres. [Fernando] Lopez’s Administrative Order No. 99 which allows trawlers in Manila Bay in violation of Rep. [Republic] Act 3048 which allows trawling only beyond seven fathoms deep, and financing for small fishermen which I immediately attended to.
I have asked Atty. Crispin Baizas to look into the causes of the student unrest. He feels it is organized and is caused by something deeper than the oil prices or the jeepney drivers. He does not trust the Jesuits.
Students reported loss of cash and valuables after the police and military left the dormitories.
Others in the group as documented by the UP Collegian were: Senators Benigno Aquino, Eva Estrada Kalaw and Lorenzo Sumulong who expressed their solidarity with the students.