According to some insiders in the Supreme Court, the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus will be sustained by an 8-3 vote with Justices [Arsenio] Dizon, [Enrique] Fernando and [Fred Ruiz Castro] Castro dissenting. The decision is supposed to come out on Saturday, my birthday.
The vote of Justice Dizon is understandable. He is a rabid partisan for he is the relative of Sen. Ninoy [Benigno] Aquino [Jr.]. He was openly contemptuous of government arguments during the hearing. But the vote of Justices Enrique Fernando and Fred Ruiz Castro is a disturbing vote. For one thing, several weeks ago, the Jailer (Justice Fred Ruiz Castro) sent me a message through Sen. Jose Roy, that he was now available for appointment as Secretary of National Defense. This was the second message he has sent of the same tenor. I can only conclude that he is a coward because the radicals have been picketing the Supreme Court or he is a big show-off and a hypocrite for when he sent me these messages on the Secretaryship of National Defense he said that he was against the radicals and their plan to take over the government by force. I am certainly glad that I did not appoint him as Secretary of National Defense.
He seems to have some kind of grievance against me notwithstanding the fact that I
Official Gazette for September 8, 1971: President Marcos constituted the board of trustees of the newly-created Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS). Designated to compose the board were Felimon Zablan, who would also act as acting chairman; Brig. Gen. Sergio Isada (ret.), as acting vice chairman; Antonio Locsin and Silvestre Payoyo, acting members. Brig. Gen. Isada was also named general manager of the new water works agency.
Under the law creating it, the MWSS would have supervision and control only of the water systems of Manila, Pasay, Quezon and Caloocan cities, and the towns of Antipolo, Cainta, Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Montalban, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasig, Pateros, San Juan, San Mateo, Taguig, and Taytay in Rizal, and Valenzuela, Bulacan. All other waterworks and sewerage systems then under the NWSA would be transferred to their respective provinces, cities or municipalities, while the Wells and Springs Department of the abolished entity would be absorbed by the Bureau of Public Works.
Earlier in the day, the President received Undersecretary of Agriculture Jose D. Drilon, Jr., concurrent RCA chief, who reported on the negotiations for the purchase of 10,000 metric tons (179,000 cavanes) of Japanese rice. The RCA chairman and general manager, who arrived from Tokyo, in formed the President that he had already signed the agreement for the purchase of Japanese rice on a deferred payment plan at $137 (47,320 yen) per ton F.O.B. stowed.
In the afternoon, the President administered the oath to Undersecretary Adrian E. Cristobal as acting Secretary of Labor. Following his induction, the President designated Secretary Cristobal as chief of the Philippine delegation to the Third Asian Labor Ministers’ Conference to be held in Seoul from September 27 to October 2.
Designated members of the delegation were Ambassador Benjamin T. Tirona, Philippine envoy to the Republic of Korea; Jaime Raneses of the Office of Manpower and Development; and Crescensio M. Siddayao, chief, ILO Affairs Secretariat of the Department of Labor, with the following as alternate delegates: Jose J. Hernandez, general secretary of the Philippine Trade Unions Council; Democrito Mendoza, president of the Philippine Confederation of Trade Unions; Juan C. Tan, president of the Federation of Free Workers: Andres Dinglasan of the Pinagbuklod na Manggagawang Filipino; and Crispin C. Uy, president of the Philippine Council of Management.
appointed him to the Supreme Court after they resigned their original midnight appointments made by Pres. [Diosdado] Macapagal.
Justice Fernando is a civil-rightist. But so is Chief Justice [Roberto] Concepcion and Justice J.B. [Jose] Reyes, [Claudio] Teehankee [Sr.] etc. So I can only conclude that he has been influenced by his having had Sen. [Sergio] Osmeña [Jr.] as his client in the malodorous reclamation case of Cebu which I stopped and questioned in court.
And to think that I appointed him justice because he would be scholarly and fair!
A 40 man NPA [New People’s Army] group believed led by Commander Dante [Bernabe Buscayno] and Commander Pusa [Benjamin Sanguyo] ambushed a 10th BCT [Battalion Combat Team] patrol at Barrio Usor, San Agustin, Isabela at 3:30 PM of Sept. 9th and inflicted casualties of 6 KIA [killed in action] and one WIA [wounded in action]. This follows the destruction of two Huey helicopters by grenade launchers fire at the Tactical CP of task Force Lawin at Echague, Isabela.
The Isabela troops are beginning to suffer heavy casualties.
In another ambush at exactly the same time, a 50-man band ambushed another patrol at Barrio Divisoria, Santiago, Isabela but apparently because the soldiers were riding in an armored weapons carrier, no casualties were inflicted.
And the NPA is active in Camarines Sur.
While these incidents prove the truth of our allegations of the communist threat, they do not make me happy a bit.
The LP’s [Liberal Party] and NP’s [Nacionalista Party] have formed a joint provincial ticket so that Gov. [Isidro] Rodriguez has no opponent. But this will prejudice the senators and the mayoralty candidates.
I met the mayors with Gov. Rodriguez and Cong. Frisco San Juan this morning.
I have started to give away the book on Revolution—one to Cong. Frisco San Juan and the second to Delegate Bibit Duavit. Then five copies went to the wire services, one to mother, another to my brother Paking [Pacifico] and five to the Romualdezes.
We were able to correct pp. 16 and 17. But so far we have had 14 original uncorrected copies, then 14 corrected ones, now 50 copies.