The [Rodolfo] Ganzon ambushers have been identified by the PC [Philippine Constabulary] and NBI [National Bureau of Investigation].
Talked to Imelda at about 12:00 AM [sic]. She is at Excelsior Hotel in Rome. Bongbong still ill in bed. They take the regular PAL [Philippine Airlines]-KLM [Koninklijke Luchtvaart
Official Gazette for March 24, 1972: WITH two scheduled appointments for the day, the President buckled down to his desk and go over state papers, and thereby declared Saturday, April 1, a special public holiday.
He proclaimed the day as a special public holiday because it falls between two public holidays—March 31 (Good Friday) and April 2 (Sunday).
In a separate proclamation, the Chief Executive also declared the same day as a National Day of Prayer and Fasting.
He said that its observance may serve to promote the attainment of the national goals of peace, happiness and contentment of the people, which are among the highest objectives of government.
Earlier in the morning, the President was assured by the Construction and Development Corporation of the Philippines that it would push back its deadline for the completion of the Greater Manila Terminal Food Market, from June 1973 to December 1972 to help in the nationwide food production drive.
The pushback would mean a cut of six months from the original schedule of completion of the GMTFM.
Upon completion of the Terminal Food Market, this would service the entire Greater Manila area, coordinating the flow of consumer goods from all producers’ cooperatives which would otherwise be individually selling to the Greater Manila area.
Later in the morning, the Chief Executive received Franz Zeda, minister of communications of Indonesia, who called to pay his respects following his arrival to sign the RP-Indonesia air agreement.
In receiving the Indonesian dignitary, the President expressed the hope that the signing of the air agreement will mark the beginning of even closer cooperation in facilitating air travel between the two countries.
Minister Zeda was accompanied to Malacañang by Acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs Manuel Collantes, Ambassador Modesto Farolan, Ambassador Kusno Utomo of Indonesia and other Indon officials.
Early in the afternoon, the President met with some members of his Cabinet and launched the nationwide formation of producers and consumers cooperatives as an answer to the problems of underproduction and unstable prices and at the same time ordered the immediate release of ₱5 million from the rural improvement fund for the organization of consumers cooperatives.
He directed Secretary of Commerce and Industry Troadio Quiazon, Jr. to proceed with the organization of consumers cooperatives in cooperation with the Presidential Arm on Community Development Agricultural Productivity Commission, Agricultural Credit Administration and Cooperatives Administration Office.
The President also requested through the president of the CANR, Alfredo Montelibano, to see to the reduction of the price of fertilizers.
In connection with the increase in the price of fertilizers, Montelibano said it was done in order to generate funds for the payment of amortizations on the producers’ foreign loans guaranteed by the government.
The Chief Executive enjoined the private sector to continue with its dialogue with the government and invited Montelibano and other representatives of the private sector to work with heads of government agencies responsible for the organization of cooperatives.
Present at the meeting were:
Executive Secretary Alejandro Melchor, Jr., Assistant Executive Secretaries Roberto V. Reyes and Ronaldo Zamora, Secretary of Finance Cesar E. A. Virata, Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources Arturo R. Tanco, Jr., Secretary of Commerce and Industry Troadio Quiazon, Jr., Central Bank Governor Gregorio Licaros, PES Director-General Apolinario Orosa and NEC Chairman Gerardo Sicat; and Alfredo Montelibano, Johnny Planas, Adi Sison, Sixto Orosa, Jr. and Col. Jacinto Gavino from the private sector.
Maatschappij – Royal Dutch Airlines] flight leaving Rome at 9:00 PM (Rome time) and arriving in Manila at 7:20 PM, Saturday, Manila time. She meets the Pope at about 12:30 AM [sic] Rome time or 7:30 PM Manila time. Then goes to a reception in the evening given by a Mike ______ whose father has stayed in Manila Hotel for twenty five years.
We have been working on Trade Promotion and the export trade. We must wipe out the imbalance of the trade with Australia of about $50 million.
I have directed the development of a low priced tiller that should revolutionize the rice industry—one in the P2,000-P3,000 range. Right now tillers imported from Japan cost about P10,000—too high for the ordinary farmer.
Marsteel has a prototype produced with the help of IRRI [International Rice Research Institute]. It will be tested by IRRI next month.
Worked out a formula to bring down prices by bringing the producers directly in contact with the consumers by a massive organization of cooperatives.
[Alfredo] Piding Montelibano [Sr.], President of the Chamber of Agriculture, committed the private sector to this.
And I insisted upon the lowering of the price of fertilizers which can be attained by the restructuring of the indebtedness of the SPCMA [Sugar Producers’ Cooperative Marketing Association, Inc.] which bought Esso fertilizer.
I ordered Gov. [Gregorio] Licaros and Sec. Cesar Virata to as FNCB to restructure the loan and lower fertilizer prices.
Esso Fertilizer which controls 82% of all production is controlled by the Sugar Producers Cooperative.
I also ordered the IBRD [International Bank for Reconstruction and Development] loans for $12 million for agriculture through the rural banks to be implemented by Central Bank furnishing the 30% Agri. Loan Fund. IBRD furnishes 50% the rural bank 10% and the farmer 10%.