Coordinated the public and private sectors on the organization of producers and consumers’ cooperatives. Private sector headed by Ex. Sec. Alfredo Montelibano, President of the Chamber of Agriculture.
Beginning April 6th, 251 trainers will be trained in Los Baños for APC [Agricultural Productivity Commission], ACA [Agricultural Credit Administration], PACD [Agricultural Credit Administration] and CAO [Cooperatives Administration Office] for two weeks. They will be sent out to the provinces and cities to train the field men of these agencies, the local executives down to the level of the barrio councilors as well as teachers.
Official Gazette for March 25, 1972: PRESIDENT MARCOS started early today going over state papers and in the process approved the promotion of a total of 451 officers in the different branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The President likewise requested Secretary of Finance Cesar E. A Virata to deliver a speech for him before the general assembly of the Philippine National Cooperatives Bank.
At about mid-morning, the President broke off from his desk to confer with representatives of the public and private sectors on the plan to bring down prices through cooperatives.
During the conference, he said that the nationwide formation of producers and consumers cooperatives as an answer to the problems of under production and unstable prices has been given a big boost.
Also during the conference, the President said:
(1) The government will train 251 trainors for cooperatives in Los Baños, Laguna on April 6.
(2) The private sector will be invited to participate by sending on its account, an equal number of trainors.
(3) The Philippine Public School Teachers’ Association, which has 260,000 members, “has now agreed to organize into a cooperative all over the country” and for this purpose “has applied with the Cooperatives Administration Office for registration:”
The President said that the trainors, after undergoing a two-week train-in, and in turn, train fieldmen of the government agencies engaged in organization. These agencies, he pointed out, are the Cooperatives Administration Office, Agricultural Productivity Commission, Agricultural Credit Administration, and the Presidential Arm on Community Development.
He also said that the putting up all over the country of storage plants for perishable consumer items is one of the keys to the lowering of prices.
“To this end,” he said, “we have agreed with the private sector that we will now adopt the new process of chilling instead of the old system of ice production.”
The Chief Executive explained that the new technology of chilling is a system by which one can put up any insulated warehouse to be converted into a storage by a package unit type of chilling.
He said that the storage plant will not only prevent spoilage and wastage, but “we will be able to control, through it, proper distribution and the accumulation of produce.”
Among those present at the conference were: Executive Secretary Alejandro Melchor, Jr., Secretary of Commerce and Industry Troadio Quiazon, Jr., Assistant Executive Secretaries Roberto V. Reyes and Ronaldo Zamora, Director-General Apolinario Orosa of the Presidential Economic Staff, Assistant Administrator Amado Lansang of the Agricultural Credit Administration, Secretary Rosendo Marquez of the Presidential Arm on Community Development, Director Orlando Pagulayan of the Cooperatives Administration Office, Deputy Commissioner Francisco Rentutar of the Agricultural Productivity Commission, Chairman Gerardo Sicat of the National Economic Council, Administrator Eliseo Villamor of the RCA, Press Secretary Francisco S. Tatad; and Alfredo Montelibano, Colonel Jacinto Gavino, Johnny Planas and Hector Moreno from the private sector.
Counterparts of the private sector will be equally trained.
100 storage facilities with the new technique of chilling instead of ice production, will be established throughout the country for perishable consumer items like fish, beef, pork, chicken and eggs, vegetables, fruits etc. The franchise holders of ice will be given a chance to buy the units but a public bidding can be held to choose the operators.
Also worked out the credit to be extended to agriculturists.
Before this, looked into all the programs for export and trade as well tourist promotion.
Metrocom [Metropolitan Command] has to be strengthened.
[Benigno] Benny Toda [Jr.] came to see me and offered to part with one half of all his holdings in PAL [Philippine Airlines]. I presumed this meant to the government with him contributing to manage the company. I refused it but asked him to present his plans for a renovated PAL which would be a pride to the country.
I had asked [Geronimo] Ronnie Velasco to come and confer with Benny Toda, hoping that I could get them to agree on some kind of a settlement. But Ronnie Velasco said he could not commit his group.
So I asked both of them to know that I did not want the office of the President to be dragged into their conflict and that my name should not be used by either of them.
Benny had asked that he be allowed to tell Caltex that he had my support and that I wanted the status quo. I asked him to tell Caltex that in the Bd of Directors meeting on Monday and Stockholders meeting on Wednesday that the Status Quo in the organization be maintained but that my name should not be used by either party.