The sun came out this morning, the rain stopped and the waters receded in all places. Although it rained this afternoon so I could not fly by helicopter to Central Luzon.
The talk of Manila is the miracle of Sto. Niño with a few sour grapes as was expected.
But it looks like I am not the only believer in miracles.
So we are now busy on the plans for reconstruction: the financing, priorities, action officers etc.
This morning I sent both Secs. [David] Consunji of Public Works and [Arturo] Tanco [Jr.] of Agriculture to Lingayen. Their field workers have not been too active in the field. In Pangasinan only 900 cavans of seeds (palay) is available. So we have the teams for certified seeds scouring the province as well as Nueva Ecija.
Then the Bued River Bridge is still unrepaired. Sec. Consunji is now meeting all engineers.
The Malacañan in the Field is active.
Official Gazette for August 3, 1972: THE PRESIDENT declared a moratorium on the sending of Philippine delegations to international conferences abroad as one more means of cutting down the spending of valuable foreign exchange, for the duration of the national rehabilitation program.
At the same time, the President instructed the Department of Foreign Affairs to seek a deferment, if not a cancellation, of international conferences scheduled to be held in the country for the duration of the rehabilitation program.
Not included in the presidential edict were the United Nations General Assembly session in September, scheduled to be attended by Secretary of Foreign Affairs Carlos P. Romulo, and vital economic conferences including those connected with government efforts to raise assistance for its rehabilitation program.
Among other actions, the President ordered the prompt restoration of normal vehicular traffic leading to the Ilocos provinces, which was cut off when the approaches of the Rosario bridge across Bued River along the highway in La Union were washed out by the flood.