Some senior officers of the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] are supposed to be concerned that we adopted, in the National Security Council, the decision to request Nationalist China to leave Itu Aba, a decision they consider precipitate and unwise because we do not have the military might to enforce it, considering the powerful navy and airforce as well as land forces of Nationalist China. They blame Sec. [Carlos] Romulo and the Dept. of Foreign Affairs of the decision.
If anyone is to be blamed it should be me. For I ordered the request to be made immediately when the news broke out of the Itu Aba Chinese garrison allegedly shooting at our fishing ships.
And the decision was made after a sober and meticulous estimate of the situation. We or rather I came to the conclusion that with the Nationalist Chinese facing the survival issue of expulsion from the UN [United Nations] and the entry of Red China, she would hardly be using force in the Spratley Islands.
Japan has surprisingly expeditiously given the $65 million loan; $25 million for projects and $40 million a commodity loan; seven years grace period; 13 more years to pay and 3½% interest.
We intend to seek a reconsideration so that $15 [million] would go to projects and $50 million for commodities because commodities would generate pesos immediately (we import
Official Gazette for July 15, 1971: President Marcos had an unscheduled caller in the morning in the person of Libyan Ambassador Salem Buyasir, who called to pay his respects. During their meeting, the President briefed Ambassador Buyasir on the Cotabato situation. The President said the unrest in Cotabato is “not a dispute between Muslim on one side and Christians on the other, but between conflicting interests and groups in the region. He said the roots of the conflict are land ownership, politics, and the activities of agent provocateurs who are trying to foment disorder and dissension in the region. Another courtesy caller received by the President was W. W. Richardson, vice president of Mobil East.
Earlier, the President received some local officials from the Ilocos and Albay provinces, who consulted him on problems of their constituencies. The President devoted the rest of the day to official papers, taking time off toward evening to induct two newly confirmed assistant city fiscals of Manila, namely, Roque A. Tamayo and Marcelo Obien. A graduate of the college of law of the University of Santo Tomas, Tamayo was admitted to the bar in 1955, and entered government service as a member of the legal staff of the Senate president.
Obien is a graduate of the Manuel L. Quezon Education Institution. He passed the bar in 1959, and served as municipal councilor, legal assistant in the office of the Legislative Council of the Philippine Senate, and secretary to Rep. Simeon Valdez.
Present at the oath-taking were Reps. Roque Ablan and Simeon Valdez, Gov. Elizabeth Marcos Keon, Mayors Alfonso Garbido of Bangui, Pedro Alviar of Vintar, Leonardo Velasco of Banna, Generoso Aquino of Piddig, Chito Ruiz of Sarrat, Felicisimo Asuncion of Batac, Angel Bautista of Badoc, Cirilo Quilala of Currimao, Candido Llaquino of Paoay, Napoleon Foz of Dingras, Anselmo Matubi of Marcos, Antonio Bumanglag of Espiritu, Ulpiano Anam of Nueva Era, Irineo Cariaga of Solsona and close relatives and friends of the inductees.
from $35 to $40 million monthly) while projects would take some time to prepare for funding; then we will seek a lowering of the interest from 3½% to 3%.
Even if the Japanese deny the request, everyone will be on notice that we are not happy with the terms of the loan. The Japanese, according to Sec. Cesar Virata, will be expecting the request for reconsideration.
The swift action by the Japanese may have been due to my appeal to Ex. Foreign Minister [Kiichi] Aichi and my speech before Aspac [Asian and Pacific Council] that shocked the delegates but wherein I referred to Japan as the most industrialized nation in Asia and a Great Power in the world! What a few chosen words can do.
I met the Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, Albay political leaders on the problems of the coming elections.
Scolded the mayors of Ilocos Norte as well as the governor (my sister Elizabeth) and the two congressmen for petty bickerings prejudicing the administration of the province and reflecting upon my leadership.
I notified them that if the parliamentary system of government is adopted I was returning to my old district in Ilocos Norte and that the incumbent congressman, Simeon Valdez, an uncle, had agreed to this in 1969. He admitted this.
Then we settled down to the projects to improve the province.
In Albay it looks like Gov. [Jose] Estevez is now a controversial candidate as he has been playing footsie with the Liberals and fraternizing with the political enemies of the Nationalista [sic] congressmen. I have to give him an appointment in the executive dept.
Mrs. [Pepita] Aquino, wife of Com. [Baltazar] Aquino will be the candidate.
The Ilocos Norte conference ended up as a crying jig with Congressman [Roque] Ablan [Jr.] first crying when I scolded him for saying that everything that he has done was upon my orders. Then the Governor cried when I said that [s]he was not conducting the affairs of government properly; from her behavior she is petty, undiplomatic patronizing and quarrelsome.
Then I pointedly told Cong. [Simeon] Valdez that one of the basic rules that I established when I was in the district which I asked to be continued by my successor was that no one in public office would make money out of any business in the district—and that he, the congressman had violated this. I no longer had to tell him that he even authorized a bill granting a franchise (telephone) to his wife.
He started sniffling too!
But what angered me and I told all the leaders so was that I had built the Virginia tobacco industry, the garlic and onion industry (agriculture in general) in the north so that the benefits of progress may seep down to the level of the farmers but now the middlemen, the traders and merchants like the Chuas, have been allowed to monopolize the increased income. The farmers are complaining about the low prices of their produce, tobacco selling for P.30 a kilo when the lowest price I provided by law was P1.50 a kilo.
Of course, the leaders, specially Cong. Valdez denied this.
The conference was an eye-opener. I noted that after everyone had said his piece, they all settled down to constructive proposals to improve the province.
I ended up with the statement that all of us must remember that we all pledged to remain faithful to our ideals; that the people expect us to serve them not ourselves; that in whatever position I may be I will not tolerate anyone who is not self-sacrificing; that I am usually patient but when I have reached my decision, I do not flinch in implementing them.
Even I felt good that I had done a good deed to the people of my province.