I ordered the criminal prosecution of the persons guilty for the smuggling of burley tobacco at the Currimao port. The 13 trucks that were caught on the road and brought to Camp Olivas then to Camp Aguinaldo had 40 drums filled up with burley tobacco. They belong to Mayor [Cirilo] Quilala and Felix Chua. But the old Tabacalera warehouse in Currimao in which they were originally stored and from which the trucks came still has more than 100 drums of burley tobacco. Col. [Fabian] Ver whom I sent there to investigate, locked the warehouse. But I have ordered the drums to be brought to ASAC.
But the warehouse is apparently owned by Congressman Simeon Valdez although it is in the name of a dummy, Cleto Agpaoan.
Mayor Quilala and Felix Chua claim that their trucks were merely hired and they were told that the drums contained pesticide. But if this were so why were the drums concealed in the Tabacalera warehouse in the town proper, many kilometers away from the pier where they could have been merely stacked in the open air.
The drums were consigned in Manila to Jose Evangelista Chua, a notorious smuggler.
Congressman Valdez tried to intervene to prevent a criminal prosecution. But I scolded him and ordered the prosecution anyway.
This is probably not the first time that they have smuggled into Currimao Port.
I had lunch with the House leadership, the House Appropriation committee, Ways and
Official Gazette for February 19, 1971: PRESIDENT MARCOS had a full measure of desk work, but broke off from it from time to time to receive a number of callers on his schedule.
One of the first to call on him was Greek Ambassador Dimitri Avramidis, whom the President received at the guest house of Malacañang, the Pangarap. The Greek envoy to the Philippines paid a farewell call prior to his departure for Athens.
Ambassador Avramidis has completed his two-year tour of duty here.
Among the President’s other callers were Rep. Cornelio T. Villareal and Gov. Cornelio Villareal, Jr. of Capiz, and a delegation from Agusan headed by Rep. Democrito O. Plaza. They took up local problems concerning their respective constituencies.
During the day, the President also submitted to the Commission on Appointments for its consideration 44 nominations for various posts in the Department of Justice.
The President worked at his desk hi the afternoon and through the evening, during which he:
1. Issued an administrative order redefining the functions and status of the Infrastructure Operations Center;
2. Named Johnny Araneta and Francisco Oira as members of the executive committee for the 21st Colombo Plan consultative committee meeting; and
3. Declared. Wednesday, February 24, as special public holiday in Cebu City so that the city can mark properly its charter anniversary.
Means Chairman [Natalio] Castillo and the National Defense Chairman with the Secretary of National Defense.
They were threatening to cut the budget of the Department of National Defense.
So I had to reveal the plan for citizen training, how the Russians who met with the radicals of the Philippines and told them that the only true revolutionary is Marcos and he understands that for a revolution to succeed, the Armed Forces must be either demoralized or neutralized.
And I had to tell them of the ______.
I invited Ex-Pres. [Carlos] Garcia to the Palace with Danny Gaviola, Talio Castillo, Bob Malasarte for a late merienda with Imelda. I wanted to know what he stood for.
He said he would seriously consider the unicameral legislature proposal but that he had expressed himself for a bicameral system four times.
He had not expressed himself on how to attain synchronization of elections (whether to cut the term of local officials or extend the term of members of Congress) although he had committed himself in his certificate of candidacy to synchronization. “I will broaden my studies on it,” he said.
As always he is slow-moving, undecided and unimpressive. It must be his age.
I wish we had a more vital leader for the constitutional convention.
Gen. [Eulogio] Balao and Sec. M. [Manuel] Salientes came in to see me on reparations and the Japanese loan for the Phil-Japan Highway.
Apparently the latter and Ambassador [Jose S.] Laurel [III] for Japan are making money on equipment procurement for the highway (10-20% of the cost).
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