We had an accident on the boat shuttle from the Sea Otter owned by Dick Bartlett borrowed by Al Lim for our use this morning at about 11:00 AM.
When the Sea Otter had anchored off Barit, Imelda and the girls took the plastic boat for shore first, then Vincent, Marcelino Roxas, AP [Associated Press] press photographer, Danny [Daniel] and Ising [Maria Luisa] Vazquez then followed.
The boat which was prow heavy because three of the passengers were forward, as swamped by three foot waves and over turned.
Vincent lost his toupee as Marceling the photographer who was weighed down with three cameras, lenses, a gun, clothes bag and portfolio in an effort to climb up the overturned boat which had of course a slippery bottom, was swept by the westward current, clung to Vincent who went down with him.
It turned out Marceling does not know how to swim but can float. So he was fished out of the water unconscious, artificial respiration was administered, sea water rolled out of his stomach. He recovered consciousness but his equipment was ruined and Vincent had a cut in the forehead.
We arrived from fishing around the island of Barit to see Imelda desperately trying to flag us in with first Ising’s red dress, then a towel.
Danny and Ising swum to the shore but Ising lost her bag.
The UOU did well. They acted quickly. Sgts. Estacio and Ramos, a submarine demolition man, pulled Marceling out of the water. A minute more and he would have drowned.
And the UOU also dove to 90 feet for Edon’s portfolio and Isings handbag including the contents of keys and glasses which were scattered over the moss covered bottom.
Magno ______ went down without a diving suit and lungs to 90 feet to retrieve the handbag.
Official Gazette for April 12, 1972: WITH no scheduled callers to attend to, the President devoted the whole morning to paper work.
He, however, received some officials of the executive department who called at Malacañang in the afternoon for consultations.
Vincent says he was scalped in Fuga.
The weather has been bad, the sea rough and the wind strong.
We have not caught any fish either so we could not fish at all.
But we enjoy the islands. As Imee says it is paradise.
Tomorrow we fish at 6:00 AM.
Am reading Napoleon (From 18 Brumaire to Tilsit by Georges Lefebvre as translated by Henry F. Stockhold). It analizes [sic] Napoleon’s ascension to dictatorship.
“It was to the Revolution that Bonaparte owned his marvelous destiny. He was also able to force himself upon republican France precisely because an internal necessity fated that country to dictatorship. x x”
“(The Brumariwts) They had no intention of giving in to Bonaparte, and they chose him only as an instrument of their policy. That they propelled him to power without imposing any character of the new regime, betrays their incredible mediocrity.