Met Foreign Minister Kim Yong Shih of Korea who is here as the guest of Sec. [Carlos] Romulo and who is apparently here to ask Sec. Romulo to help prevent the Korea issue to be brought up by the North Koreans in the UN [United Nations]. My feeling is that he thinks Sec. Romulo makes the decisions in foreign policy. I did not dissuade him from this mistaken belief.
Awarded him the Ancient Order of Sikatuna, Rank of Datu.
Directed Com. [Misael] Vera and Dep. Com. [Conrado] Diaz to recognize the BIR [Bureau of Internal Revenue]; change assignments, met Specific Tax Div. Chief Guining which has an increase of P72 million this year—an increase of 50% of rate of increase from 8% last year to 12% this year. Asked him to give his deputy, Jose Salindong more responsibilities.
Then met the senators and congressmen. Next week I will release P100,000 to each congressional district.
Sen. [Arturo] Tolentino has just called my directive to Sec. of Justice and Sol. Gen. to see to it that there is no confiscation without fair compensation untimely and improper. Because of his bill on escheat of American property rights.
Official Gazette for August 23, 1972: THE PRESIDENT received a string of callers, composed mostly of members of Congress and local executives, who apprised him of problems in their respective jurisdictions.
Among the actions taken by the President was to issue a directive to Chairman Eliseo Villamor of the Rice and Corn Administration to adopt more expeditious ways of rice distribution, particularly in the flooded areas.
“We must adopt extremely expedious manners of distributing rice to prevent the people from going hungry,” the President said.
Irked by the report of Rep. Joaquin Chipeco, Jr. of Laguna and Mayor Lorenzo Meneses of Los Baños, the President directed the RCA official to allow the sale of rice without repacking.
Other callers included Senators Leonardo Perez and Rene Espina, Reps. Manuel Zosa, Ramon Durano, Gaudencio Beduya, and Emerito Calderon of Cebu, Vicente Cerilles of Zamboanga del Sur, Leopoldo Diaz and Angel Concepcion of Nueva Ecija, Pedro Medalia of Mindoro Occidental, Amando Cope of Albay, Fermin Caram, Jr. of Iloilo, Simeon Valdez of Ilocos Norte, Francisco Reyes and Joaquin Roces of Manila, Constancio Maglana of Davao Oriental, Antonio Villar of Pangasinan, Jose Neri of Camiguin, and Felipe Almazan of Kalinga-Apayao, and Gov. Carlos Cajelo of Cotabato.
Earlier in the day, the President conferred the ancient Order of Sikatuna, rank of datu, on Foreign Minister Yong Shik Kim of Korea who paid his respect on the President at Malacañang, following his arrival for a three-day visit.
The President extended the sympathies of the Filipino people to the people of Korea who have also suffered from floods, and at the same time conveyed through Minister Yong the gratitude and appreciation of the Filipino people to the Koreans for their generous donations to the Central Luzon flood victims.
In presenting the Sikatuna award, the President cited the visiting Korean dignitary for “his noteworthy espousal in the United Nations of measures to insure the maintenance of international peace and security.”
The Korean dignitary was accompanied to Malacañang by Secretary of Foreign Affairs Carlos P. Romulo, Undersecretary Manuel Collantes, Ambassador Se Ryun Kim of Korea, and the members of the minister s entourage.
I do not wish to quarrel with him. So I merely commented that the study by the Sec. of Justice must be objective and include all aspects including those that must be brought to the attention of the court on a motion for reconsideration—whether adverse to the government or not.
I ordered the BOI [Board of Investments], PBG [Philippine Business Groups?], NEC [National Economic Council] and Ex. Sec. to study the effects on business and the economy of the decision—and make a listing of all persons affected.
The Intelligence Chief of Rizal was felled by three unknown persons the other day.
The floods do not seem to recede so we cannot wait for the Central Plains to dry up before repairing the roads and dikes.
I have ordered that the Dept. of Public Works adopt techniques of reconstruction in the water.
Amb. [Roberto] Benedicto called up to say that he is signing the purchase of 100,000 tons of rice from Japan: 30 years amortization, 10 years grace, 2% the first 10 years and 3 percent the next 20 years.
The Japanese are also agreeable to convert the current commodity loan agreement term of Cagayan Electrification of P40 M and P11 M to flood control.
And Amb. [Eduardo] Romualdez telexed that the US will not intervene in the Japanese normalization of relations with Red China.
Looks like the Nationalist Chinese are lost. Although Japan should also be interested in keeping her at least as an independent state.
The United States, apparently, is going to leave Japan to pull her chestnuts out of the fire.
I attach the papers on this in Envelope XXXIV-K and the orders in XXXIV-L.
The newspapers are in Envelope XXXIV-M.