At 1:30 AM, two hand grenades were thrown at the dance floor of the town fiesta of Cabugao, Ilocos Sur, where only Gov. [Luis] Chavit Singson and Mayor [Pacifico] Apostol of Cabugao were dancing. This resulted in 8 killed and 123 wounded.
I sent Sec. Johnny [Juan] Ponce Enrile, Gen. [Fidel] Ramos and Gen. Tomas Diaz to Cabugao this morning. They arrived tonight with the report above. Attached diagram of site of crime by Sec. Ponce Enrile.
The possibilities are the following:
Official Gazette for April 25, 1972: THE PRESIDENT ordered Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile to proceed to Ilocos Sur to look into the grenade-bombing early in the morning in Cabugao that cost the lives of, and inflicted injuries on, a big number of fiesta celebrants.
Among other actions taken by the President in the wake of the incident, he:
1) Sent two planes of the Philippine Air Force on a mercy mission to the area, complete with medical teams from the V. Luna General Hospital and the Department of Health, with orders to attend to, and evacuate, the injured for treatment at VLGH.
2) Dispatched a light plane with CIS investigators and a crime laboratory to the town, to assist in the investigation.
At mid-morning, the President received a large number of callers, mostly provincial executives, who took up with him local matters such as the release of public works and calamity funds and the peace and order situation.
The only other caller on the Chief Executive was Ambassador Julio Menimo Salcedas of Portugal, who came to say goodbye before leaving for home where his new assignment, after a three and a half years’ tour of duty in the Philippines, would be given him.
The outgoing Portuguese envoy thanked the President and, through him, the Filipino people, for giving him the opportunity to complete his mission successfully and assured the President that whenever possible he would always strive to help promote the interests of the Filipino people.
The President expressed the hope that the incoming envoy to replace him would be as successful as he was and assured him that the Filipino people would always welcome him if he would make the Philippines his second home.
Next to call on the President was a delegation composed of Governors Palma Gil of Davao Oriental and Verulo Boiser of Davao del Norte; Vice Governors Bienvenida Salceda of Davao del Sur, Cecilia de la Paz of Davao del Norte and Francisco Rabat of Davao Oriental, accompanied by Reps. Constancio B. Maglana and Lorenzo Sarmiento.
The President also received Cavite Vice Governor Dominador Camerino who left his sickbed at the Makati Medical Center to take up the peace and order situation in his province and to renew his request for the release of funds for the repair of roads damaged by a series of typhoons.
Other callers were Governor J. Antonio Leviste of Batangas, Virgilio Lacaya of Zamboanga del Norte, Aguedo Agbayani of Pangasinan, Ignacio Santiago of Bulacan, Vicente Magsaysay of Zambales and Jaime Gomez of Mt. Province.
The President requested the provincial executives to submit to him their respective lists of priority projects so that the release of public works funds could be made systematically and equitably, on the basis of the urgency of a project.
Later in the day, the President inducted Andres L. Dinglasan, Jr., prominent labor leader, as Social Security Commissioner (representing labor), vice Israel Bocobo who has been appointed undersecretary of labor.
Present at the induction were Constitutional Convention Delegate Roberto S. Oca and Labor Secretary Adrian E. Cristobal.
- NPA [New People’s Army] diversion from Isabela (This is the idea of Sen. Benigno Aquino).
- Bingbong Crisologo’s [Vincent] followers in pursuant to the vendetta.
- The men of Chavit Singson waiting to put the blame on Bingbong Crisologo.
- Personal enemies of Chavit Singson or Mayor Apostol.
- Persons who want to discredit the Marcos administration or the Singson Administration or the Crisologos or all—like the Liberals of Aquino’s ilk.
I have ordered a dragnet of all of Northern Luzon.
Benny [Benigno] Toda [Jr.] bought back the $7 million worth of shares of PAL [Philippine Airlines] from CALTEX today.
And the Gravindex test of Imelda is again positive!