Met all the mayors of Luzon—about 33 provinces and about 781 mayors with the governors and congressmen. While we were talking of party matters, Gov. [Anacleto] Alcala moved that the gathering pass a resolution supporting the proclamation suspending the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus. Then followed a long debate or series of speeches with one dissent by the mayor of San Jose, Cam[arines] Sur.
I then explained the reasons for the proclamation.
Lunch was at 2:00 PM, I then met the provincial delegations from 3:00 PM to 7:30 PM. I worked for 12 hours straight without rest.
After this, I took dinner and worked on the final proof of the book on revolution. I took out from the epilogue the disparaging remarks on the media, inserted on private property remarks on the media, insisted on private property the papal encyclicals and eliminated the names of persons alluded to specially the subversives.
I hope to go final printing by tomorrow.
The petitions for the writ of habeas corpus in the Supreme Court to annul the proclamation I issued suspending the privilege thereof was argued the whole day up to 6:00 PM.
Official Gazette for September 1, 1971: President Marcos received pledges of unqualified support in his fight against communism from some 2,000 provincial, city and municipal officials from all over Luzon, who presented him a resolution endorsing the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus.
The endorsement came as a complete surprise to the President who called the meeting for another purpose. Concerned that most of the on-going public works and rural improvement projects would not be completed before the 45-day ban in connection with the elections takes effect, the President invited the local executives to Malacañang to thresh out problems and bottlenecks.
The President also took occasion to discuss with the local executives the prohibitions embodied in the new Election Code which were not in the old Code.
The President enjoined his fellow Nacionalistas to “adhere openly to the fact of radical reform in our society; that our society needs new movement, new causes, new projects, one of the basic projects of which is the overhaul of the electoral system to remove the primacy of the wealthy and the candidates of the wealthy.”
During the day, the President issued an executive order creating a Medical Assistance Program Task Force with the main objective of extending “medical care to all residents in an evolutionary way within our economic means and capability as a nation.” In establishing the “Task Force,” the President underscored the need to make available the benefits of medical science to all the people, especially those in the remote and isolated areas of the country.
In another order, the President directed the various agencies of the government concerned with the country’s export and import activities to fully adhere to the guidelines on the shipment of import and export samples prescribed by the National Export Coordinating Center (NECC). The President stressed the need for strict adherence to the guidelines “to stop the violation of Customs and Central Bank rules and regulations” governing exports and imports.
The Solicitor General is optimistic. He feels that Justice [Calixto] Zaldivar is openly against us as in his questions he compared the proclamation of Pres. [Elpidio] Quirino with mine. Justice [Enrique] Fernando is inscrutable. Chief Justice [Roberto] Concepcion referred to the Bill of Rights as a limitation on legislative power while Art. VII, Sec. 10, Par. 2 is a grant of power to the Executive. Justice Fred Ruiz Castro asked about the rules governing the evaluation of the evidence before and after arrest. Justice J.B.L. [Jose] Reyes (who is close to the Lopezes) asked only a few questions.
We cannot move while the case is pending in Court. And the subversives are busy with their propaganda and agitation efforts.