I have just answered a letter of Concon [Constitutional Convention] President [Diosdado] Macapagal wherein he asks whether I or Imelda are running for President in 1972. I wrote him through Kits [Francisco] Tatad that neither Imelda or I intend to run—I because I am disqualified by the constitution from a third term and Imelda because she has no intention to do so.
I asked him to do me the honor of furnishing me the original of his letter which he sent to media, so that I could answer him in more detail. And that he should expose the leadership that is sadly lacking in the convention.
Apparently Pres. Macapagal has decided to lay the blame on me for the failure of the convention.
Typical traitor and coward!
But from my point of view the Concon has become useless. Anything they will approve now will be rejected by the people in a plebiscite.
Official Gazette for June 4, 1972: THE PRESIDENT issued an executive order classifying the entry of foreign correspondents into the Philippines under the category of temporary visitors.
The President classified, for the guidance of all government agencies concerned, the entry of foreign correspondents, and their families, into the Philippines as falling exclusively under the category of temporary visitors as provided for in Section 9(a) of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940, as amended.
The President stayed the whole day at the Makati Medical Center where the First Lady underwent completion of abortion by curretage.
In the course of the day, the President, among others, addressed a letter to Constitutional Convention President Diosdado Macapagal who had asked in a letter released to the media, that the President and the First Lady declare publicly that they would retire from active political life at the end of 1973.
In his letter, which was also released directly to the media as a means of getting it to the president of the Constitutional Convention, the President said:
“You are well aware of the fact that under our present Constitution, I am disallowed from running for the Presidency after 1973, and I have repeatedly stated in the past, and I state it once again now, that I have no intention whatsoever of running for the Presidency in 1973.”
Speaking for the First Lady, the President said that “she has no intention of running for the Presidency in 1973,” adding that “the First Lady and I have stated this repeatedly in writing, in interviews with media and in public statements. Unfortunately you and others have seen it fit to disregard these statements and believe only what you have chosen to believe.”
Continuing, the President said:
“I do not know what your real motives are, inasmuch as I cannot see the connection between the matter of our candidacy or non-candidacy and the function of the convention. But I have one appeal to make. I now appeal to you to perform your duties at the convention, irrespective of any views that have been or will be expressed from any source, including myself.”
Judge Asuncion and Director [Jolly] Bugarin appeared at 9:40 PM in the Channel 9 TV program. Background on the search warrant on the [Eduardo] Quintero residence.
Creditable appearance.
Chief State Prosecutor [Emilio] Gancayco and Fiscal Mabutas appeared on Channel 5 in Raul Goco’s how on Justice. They also explained how the requisites for the issuance of a search warrant were complied with.
But the Times and the Herald as well as the Chronicle have been specially vicious printing alleged PNS [Philippine News Service] reports that the people and civic organizations believe the money in the Quintero residence was “planted.”
Transparent attempt to usurp judicial function and place me and the government in discredit.
[Joaquin] Chino Roces is behind all this. But the Sorianos are apparently behind him also. So I am beginning to believe that the plan is to completely discredit the Concon so that their interests are not prejudiced by a new and socially-oriented constitution.
It would be wise to look into this. The American Lobby is suspect here. Because under the plans of the Concon, the real estate owned by American firms would have to revert to the Republic in 3 to 5 years.
The Chinese Lobby is also suspect because of the problems of nationalization or Filipinization.
But everybody is taking advantage of it—Liberals, activists, Americans, Chinese etc. They are all fishing in troubled waters.
The American Embassy is also interested in the failure of the Convention because of the threat to abolish the American bases in the Philippines.
Delegate Miguel Cuaderno was one of the principal movants and mentors of Quintero. And Cuaderno has many American clients. So has Pio Pedrosa of Prudential Bank.
Cuaderno is supposed to have said that “Ang bata mo ay tila walang lakas loob gumawa ng expose,” referring to Quintero. This was addressed to Delegate Dioscoroso [Decoroso] Rosales of Samar.
All the prospective presidential candidates are now bonding together against me.
As soon as my letter to Macapagal to the effect that Imelda and I have no intention of running in 1973 comes out tomorrow they will start quarreling among themselves all over again.
It is unknown where this and subsequent sentences come from, because the last page of this entry is missing from PCGG.
There will soon be a crisis in government because of the non-passage of the budget.
Then the communists will over-react and start violence. And the elements in the military long preparing for a coup d’etat will execute their plans.
If these happen, then we would have to make a decision to use emergency powers.