Successful proclamation rally starting at 8:30 PM. Better speeches—including mine.
Ended 2:30 AM.
Cotabato situation—ceasefire although the PC [Philippine Constabulary] seem to have taken kill 332 this morning with some WIA.
Gov. [Simeon] Datumanong and Cong. Salipada Pendatun ineffective. Apparently the Moslems do not listen to them anymore—the armed ones anyway. They insist Sen. [Mamintal] Tamano should do the negotiating—as he (Pendatun) is a candidate and so is the governor.
So I asked Mayor [Sansalona Biruar] of Parang, Mayor Michael Sinsuat of Upi, [Bangon Aratoc] Tomasil of Buldon to ______.
We left Tagbilaran by the 777 after the proclamation at 2:00 AM and arrived at Iligan (IISMI [Iligan Integrated Steel Mills Inc.]) at 9:00 AM. We decided that Imelda and the candidates should proceed to Marawi City while I fly to Cotabato to bring about a settlement of the fighting in Buldon.
Official Gazette for August 12, 1971: President Marcos conferred with PC and army commanders, provincial political leaders of Cotabato on the peace and order situation in said province.
Upon request of Rep. Salipada K. Pendatun the President, during the conference, wired Senators Mamintal Tamano and Leonardo B. Perez, requesting them to conduct negotiations with Mayor Bangon Aratuc of Buldon for a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Cotabato. Rep. Pendatun assured the President that the mayor of Buldon was willing to meet the President or his representative if given a safe conduct by the government troops.
In a series of directives issued during the conference, the President ordered:
1. Brig. Gen. Eduardo M. Garcia, PC chief; and Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan, Fourth PC Zone commander, to lift the August 15 ultimatum for armed Muslims fighting government troops to surrender; 2 The two PC generals to stop all aggressive action in the area, but for government troops to dig in and stay put in their positions;3. The armed forces to hold their artillery fire on Muslim positions to prevent destruction of life and property; and4. The PC to gather all evidence against known leaders of the Ilagas and to file corresponding charges.
Present at the meeting were Gen. Manuel T. Yan, AFP chief of staff; Secretary of National Defense Juan Ponce Eimle and Undersecretary Efren Plana, Brig. Gen. Rafael Ileto, Philippine Army commander; Gen. Garcia Brig Gen. Juan B. Cruz of the Fourth Brigade Gen. Tutaan former Rep. Blah Sinsuat, CNI Commissioner Mama Sinsuat Gov Simeon Datumanong, Mayor Udtog Matalan Jr. of Pikit, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Mayors Emma Gaddi of Kidapawan, Bonifacio Tejada of M’lang, Conrado Buencamino of Isulan, Sansalona Biruar of Parang, Balakat Sangki of Ampatuan, Michael Sinsuat of Upi, Ricardo Ipong of Makilala; and Lt. Col. Adolfo Bringas, Cotabato provincial commander.
Arriving in Iligan City at 9:30 a.m., after an overnight voyage from Tagbilaran City aboard the RPS Ang Pangulo, President Marcos motored direct to the local airport where he boarded a plane for Cotabato for the meeting with military officials and provincial and political leaders in the province.
From Cotabato, the President proceeded to Davao where the President and the First Lady attended another rally in the evening to proclaim the NP senatorial bets.
A tent was put up in the airport so that I could immediately go through the briefing by the military and a conference with the civilian leaders.
I was not impressed by the briefing by the Gen. [Domingo] Tutaan, the IV PC Zone commander. The estimate of 1,500 as the number of the enemy is an apparent exaggeration due to lack of confirmation. The last air reconnaissance was two or three days ago. No pictures have been taken of enemy positions.
There is no doubt that our troops could take Buldon without too much casualties as our artillery and mortars could open the way,
But this would immediately alienate the Moslems and widen the rift between the Christians and the cultural minority.
And I had received reports that the Moslems felt that the Constabulary was siding with the “Ilagas” in the burning of the houses and the killing of Moslems. Thus they felt aggrieved.
This was confirmed by the passionate accusations of Cong. Pendatun.