Official Gazette for September 8, 1972: PRESIDENT MARCOS conferred with the leaders of the sugar industry on the problems of the industry.
Subjects discussed included the effects of the Supreme Court decision on parity rights on the Philippine sugar market in the United States; the scarcity of sugar in local markets; the sugar quedans anomaly; and the ability of the Philippines to fill the 1,401,000 tons of sugar quota in the United States this year.
The President noted the provisions of the U.S. Sugar Act of 1971 providing for the suspension of the sugar quota of any country which expropriates property belonging to American citizens.
Former Agriculture Secretary Alfredo Montelibano, speaking for the industry as a whole, supported the stand of the President that there should be just compensation for the divestment of American properties.
Montelibano said he would meet the representatives of the traders, millers and producers so that they could draw up a position paper for submission to the President.
Upon the suggestion of Montelibano, the President directed Commerce Secretary Troadio T. Quiazon, Jr. to confer with the Sugar Quota Administrator and the leaders of the industry in order to arrive at a realistic price.
The President ordered the sale of raw sugar in order to fill immediate consumers needs.
The President informed the leaders of the sugar industry that his attention to the quedan anomaly had been called by an international banker who had nothing whatsoever to do with sugar.
The President said the anomaly, unless it was remedied, would cause a black eye to the Philippines’ credit standing in international circles.
The President was assured by the sugar industry leaders that they would assume full responsibility for making restitution to the American bankers who had advanced money for sugar quedans which were hot physically supported by sugar in the warehouses.
The President was likewise assured by the sugar producers that barring unforeseen circumstances, the Philippines would be able to fill its entire sugar quota in the United States.
Present at the conference were Speaker Cornelio T. Villareal, Commerce. Secretary Troadio T. Quiazon, Jr., Sugar Quota Administrator Jose Unson, Reps. Roberto Diokno and Expedito Leviste of Batangas, and Roberto Montelibano of Negros Occidental; and representatives of the Sugar Industry Foundation, Philippine Sugar Association, Philippine Sugar Institute, Domestic Traders Association, Philippine Producers Cooperative Marketing Association, National Federation of Sugarcane Planters and the Sugar Club of the Philippines.
Earlier in the morning, the President conveyed the appreciation of the Filipino people for the manifestation of sympathy made by the President and people of the Dominican Republic over the devastation inflicted by the calamity on the Filipino people.
The President conveyed this message to the Dominican President through Ambassador Adolfo Camarena, who presented his credentials to the President as the new nonresident envoy of the Dominican Republic.
The President also noted with satisfaction the strengthening of the bonds of Friendship between the two peoples.
The President also assured the new Dominican envoy of the full support and cooperation of the government in his task of helping further strengthen the bonds of friendship between the two peoples.
Among those present at the presentation ceremony were Secretary of Foreign Affairs Carlos P. Romulo and Undersecretaries Jose D. Ingles and Manuel Collantes; Executive Secretary Alejandro Melchor, Jr., Finance Secretary Cesar E. A. Virata, Chairman Gerardo Sicat of the National Economic Council, Secretary of Health Clemente Gatmaitan and Press Secretary Francisco S. Tatad.
After the presentation ceremony, the President spoke at the award ceremony for the winners of the national and regional contest for model village, sponsored jointly by the Presidential Arm on Community Development and the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization.
In his remarks, the President pointed out that only a very thin line divides the requirements of the military from the requirements of economic development and that no matter how strong the military is it is a weak weapon without the support of the citizenry.
In the Philippines, the President said, the development of the barrio has been made a prerequisite of development because it constitutes the smallest political unit and represents a microcosm of Philippine life and society.
Present at the ceremonies were Secretary of Foreign Affairs Carlos P. Romulo, Ambassadors Charles Ingram of Australia, Henry Byroade of the U.S., Pierre Revol of France, Azia Farooq of Pakistan, Ly Chinly of the Khmer Republic and Swate Komalabhuti of Thailand;
SEATO officials headed by Lt. Gen. Chamras Mandukananda, special assistant; Maj. Ian G. Porteous, training adviser; and Michael D, Brown, radio-TV officer, SEATO officials and employees of the Presidential Arm on
Sen. [Benigno] Aquino [Jr.] is, of course, playing a double game. He was in danger from the Maoists, as reported by him to Sec. [Juan] Ponce Enrile when he (Aquino) interviewed Flewelyn [sic] [Fluellen] Ortigas in the stockade. He had been told by Ortigas that he, [Gerardo] Roxas and [Sergio] Osmeña [Jr.] were going to be liquidated by the Maoists, then put the blame on the administration.
So I believe he negotiated a meeting with Jose Maria Sison and is protected from that side.
But now he is convinced he is also in danger from the government. So he goes through the motions of giving information to the Secretary of National Defense to get protection from government.
And I believe that he will, however, help the Maoists more than the government.
9:30 AM—Credentials presentation by the Dominican Ambassador based in Japan.
10:00—Seato [Southeast Asia Treaty Organization] Anniversary which was a presentation of awards to the model barrios of the Philippines, contest held under the auspices of PACD [Presidential Assistant on Community Development].
11:00 AM—Sugar Conference
Before that met Speaker [Cornelio] Villareal and Sec. [Carlos] Romulo on the Moscow visit of the former. I directed that we maintain the present policy. But that we must encourage more intensified exchanges in culture and trade. We must push more sales of our mineral ore, coconut oil and abaca.
In the sugar conference we took up.
- The Sugar Act which authorizes the suspension of the sugar quota in case of expropriation of property of American citizens.
- Domestic sugar—raw sugar, including those coming from the Visayas will now be used to flood the market. We will not need to refine the sugar.
- Quedans without sugar. The PNB [Philippine National Bank] should with the DBP [Development Bank of the Philippines] guarranty [sic] a $5 million loan to [Valeriano?] Bueno and Pasumil [Pampanga Sugar Mills] payable over ten years, and with sufficient collateral, so thal Pasumil can pay off the P23 million shortage of sugar in its warehouses
Community Development led by Secretary Rosendo Marquez, and representatives of the awardees headed by Gov, Aguedo Agbayani of Pangasinan.
The first page of this entry is missing.
Carebi [Central Azucarera-Refineria de Bataan] is holding 130,000 piculs worth of quedans of the Pasumil shortage of 190,000 piculs.
I told them that I did not feel like helping a scoundrel but that if it was necessary to do so, we would have to.
4. We will be able to fill up our quota in the U.S. of 1,401,000 tons. We now have a 200,000 ton shortage. And we can make it up by early milling which started Sept. 1st.
Conferred with Sec. Ponce Enrile and Gen. [Fabian] Ver on the need to prepare for an early attempt of the Maoists to terrorize Manila.