Have just forced through a resolution in the Screening Committee of 11 men to draft all the senatorial candidates so us to give Sens. [Alejandro] Almendras and [Dominador] Aytona a reason to get out of their three man all-for-one-and-one-for-all alleged agreement with Sen. [Wenceslao] Lagumbay.
The morning papers were full of the alleged attack against me by Sen. Almendras that we the party leaders or specifically I had reneged on my promise that the three would be included in the senatorial line-up. ·
Such a promise was made but on July 26th I talked to Sen. Lagumbay at [Bahay] Pangarap informing him of his low ratings in surveys of candidates. I requested him to reconsider his running.
Last Friday as Sen. Almendras explained to the Screening Committee yesterday (as well as to me) Sen. Lagumbay had agreed to accept a cabinet position other than that of General Services in lieu of a berth in the senatorial slate.
Because of this I left Manila for Bataan. Then Sen. Almendras objected to a vote in the Screening Committee Saturday night knowing that it would turn against Sen. Lagumbay in favor of Manda [Manuel] Elizalde [Jr.].
I asked him when he talked to me over the radio what was happening. He said he wanted the 24 hours postponement because of the need for him to talk to Sen. Lagumbay. But when I asked him he said that Sen. Aytona and he would accept the nomination and run in the NP [Nacionalista Party] ticket.
Tonight he shed tears when I said that according to some informers he was pressurizing Mrs. Leonila Garcia to withdraw from NP line-up.
Official Gazette for August 1, 1971: President Marcos made a surprise inspection of the progress of work on the 556-hectare site of the Free Trade Zone in Mariveles, Bataan.
The President disembarked from the RPS Ang Pangulo in the morning. He was met at the Mariveles wharf by FTZ Chairman Teodoro Peña, Rep. Pablo Roman, Gov. Guillermo Arcenas and Mayor Carlos Sarreal.
After a briefing on the progress of work by Chairman Peña and other FTZ officials, the President made a tour of the site. The President was informed by the FTZ officials that some 110 hectares complete with facilities could already be made available for light and heavy industries in the zone. Noticing the slow pace of progress clue to the levelling operations, the President directed Chairman Peña to submit a progress report, presenting all his problems and recommendations.
The President left Mariveles at about 2 p.m. and sailed back for Manila, arriving at Malacañang shortly before 6 p.m. The rest of his working hours were spent on paper work in his private study.
And he claimed Sen. Aytona and he had agreed not to run. But I was positive that they wanted to run.
So I cut him short and said that we had an agreement and I intended to comply with it. He and Aytona would be formally drafted as were the others and they cannot refuse the draft. And since I promised a cabinet position to Sen. Lagumbay (specifically the Secretaryship of Labor) then that is his.
I knew that he was lying about Sen. Lagumbay not wanting the cabinet position when he said Sen. Lagumbay wanted his appointment immediately and nomination confirmed by the Com. on Appts. [Commission on Appointments] to which I agreed with the suggestion that he does not take the position till after the elections although Almendras said that Lagumbay wanted to take over the cabinet position after the special session.
We asked Mrs. Leonila Garcia to come to the house of Sen. [Jose] Roy where we were. Then I had them lined up for the picture of the candidates. And then I raised their hands. Although Landring would not smile at all.
And Mrs. Leonila Garcia called up Imelda asking for funds or money although Imelda had given her P100,000.
Sen. Almendras recommended Sen. [Arturo] Tolentino for campaign manager for Luzon and Sen. Emmanuel Pelaez for Visayas and Mindanao in the discussion for the campaign plans that followed.
We agreed to hold the first proclamation in Tagbilaran, then Iligan and Marawi, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Tuguegarao and Laoag.
I needed all my patience and restraint to overcome the crisis brought about by Sen. Almendras in the party.
He had succeeded in coercing everyone with the threat that he would not run in the Nacionalista ticket.
While everybody knew he was bluffing, nobody dared to call his bluff. When I did, he cried and sobered down to acquiescence when I said, “Now let me tell you again, we have an agreement that you and Doming Aytona will run in the NP ticket and I will take care of Wency Lagumbay. And we will do just that.”
And we did.