The Sugar conference—Traders, refiners and planters at 10:00 AM—with Sec. [Troadio] Quiazon [Jr.] and Sugar Quota Adm. Jose Unson.
Ordered 270,000 piculs of raw sugar to be refined. This plus the 900,000 bags of refined sugar is equivalent to four months of domestic supply. Thus there will be no shortage. But the export sugar so taken to be refined will be replaced with sugar from the Visayas where the milling starts Sept. 1st, barely two weeks away.
Then asked the Traders to put all their vehicles of about a hundred (Sec. Quiazon has only 20 Army trucks at his disposal), their facilities and outlets at the disposal of the Sec. of Commerce. So that there may be proper distribution of the available sugar.
And ordered the continuation of the enforcement of the PCC [Price Control Council] prices. Yesterday 50 retailers were arrested for selling beyond PCC prices.
Official Gazette for August 17, 1972: THE PRESIDENT conferred with sugar planters and traders in Malacañang in view of complaints of a sugar shortage and profiteering after he had issued the order and started the sale of seized sugar stocks at government prices.
During the conference, the traders pledged their cooperation and in that spirit, placed all their personnel, organizational machinery and trucks at the disposal of the government to insure the smooth distribution of the commodity.
Commerce Secretary and concurrently Price Control Council Chairman Troadio Quiazon, Jr., said there was no shortage but that the scarcity was due to lack of distribution facilities.
Present at the conference, besides Secretary Quiazon and Sugar Quota Administrator Jose Unson, were Chito Santos of CAREBI, representing sugar refineries; Armando Narciso of Insular Refining Company; Mrs. Fe Castillo of YUDECO; Jose V. Mapa, Jr., secretary of the Philippine Sugar Refinery Association; Elias Coscoluela of Founders Sugarlandia; Ady Sison for the planters; Francisco Varua, Angel Dizon, Jose Mari Chan, Alex Limjoco, Danny Nakpil, Alfredo Villafana and Irineo S. Juan, representing traders; and Senator Alejandro Almendras, representing Davao sugar planters.
Earlier in the day, the President received the city councilors of Davao City who sought approval of H. Bill No. 4456, increasing the basic salaries of Davao City officials.
During their talks, the President reiterated the basic policy of not giving salary increases and promotions to government employees, as part of the retrenchment policy and to generate funds for the rehabilitation program.
The President told the delegations that there was a plan for general increases in salaries of city and provincial officials but that in view of the calamity “all salary increases had been temporarily suspended.”
Also received by the President were the officials of the Olympic delegation led by Senator Ambrosio Padilla, president of the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation.
The President told the officials of the Olympic delegation to keep expenses within the ₱300,000 earmarked for the delegation by the PAAF and any other amounts donated by different organizations.
We are going to absolutely inhibit the expenditure of government funds for this so that our people will realize we are not going to spend money which otherwise could be spent for relief and rehabilitation,” he said.
The President directed the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office to divert the ₱200,000 earmarked for the Philippine Olympic delegation to the national rehabilitation program.
With Senator Padilla were Ernie Bitong, Col. Arsenio de Borja, Elpidio Doroteo, Peter Calibo, Fernando Bautista, Jr., Jose Bereciarte, Col. Jaime Villafuerte, Ramon Lim, Enrique Quema, Julian Malonzo and Geruncio Lacuesta.
Then met the PAAF [Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation] under Sen. [Ambrosio] Padilla on my suggestion that the delegation of 68 to the Munich Olympic games.
I ended by ordering that the government money from the PCSO [Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office] be not spent for the delegation and that the PAAF limit itself to only P300,000 and no government money to be spent.
And it looks like the chances of the delegation to win a medal is limited to weightlifting in the lightweight division, boxing and possibly wrestling—the combative sports.
Asked the Davao City Councilors to delay for one year the increase of their salary from Pl2,000 annually to P18,000. As I am going to ask the postponement of all increase in salary.
Mel [Ismael] Mathay [Jr.] and Delegate Carlos Valdes came to see me about helping [Felipe] Baby Ysmael whose every act has caused a scandal.
And Gov. [Manuel] Solidum of Romblon.
Took lunch at 3:30 PM with [Roberto] Bobby Benedicto conferring on accounts—and rice and the commodity loan from Japan.