Official Gazette for December 11, 1972: THOUSANDS OF people from all walks of life all over the country attended weekend Thanksgiving Masses for the First Lady, Mrs. Imelda R. Marcos, following her discharge from the hospital where she had been treated of arm wounds inflicted by a bolo-wielding assassin several days before. The nationwide masses were organized by the Radio Mindanao Network and Inter-island Broadcasting Corp. over its network of radio-TV stations throughout the country. The masses were relayed to Northern Luzon through Channel 6 in Baguio City. The underlying theme of the thanksgiving masses was a prayer for the safety and complete recovery of the First Lady and for guidance and strength for the President in his efforts to pursue his program of reforms under the New Society.
PRESIDENT MARCOS in Letter of Instruction No. 48, ordered the secretary of education, the directors of public schools and private schools, to “encourage, if not require, discussion of the proposed Constitution in all universities, colleges and other schools at all levels during class periods for current events or other subjects where such discussion would be relevant, especially between now and January 15, 1973.” The purpose of such discussion should be to enlighten the people on the proposed Charter in order to enable them to vote intelligently on plebiscite day. “Discussion of the proposed Constitution in classrooms by teachers and students/pupils will greatly enhance our present endeavors to inform and enlighten our people about the basic law, which is very vital to their welfare and our country,” the President said.
NATIONAL NEED to ratify the new Constitution to make permanent the goals and programs of the New Society, was stressed by Speaker Cornelio T. Villareal. In less than three months, the Speaker said, peace and order have returned to the country, the entire country has been declared a land reform area, government has become honest and more efficient, and prices of commodities have become stabilized. “We must embody the reforms now sweeping our country with the legal framework that shall become the law of the land,” he said. “The new Constitution will perpetuate and concretize the spirit of the New Society; it will bestow the New Society with flesh and blood.”
IMMEDIATE ESTABLISHMENT of pilot projects in all regions where tenancy has been generating social unrest was ordered by the President to hasten implementation of the Land Reform Program. The President directed Secretary of Agrarian Reform Conrado F. Estrella to prepare the program for these pilot projects, especially the funding requirements for the administrative units, and the credit needs of the farmers and other support services such as roads and other infrastructures. In the implementation of the program, the President said that the needs of the farmers for home lots should not be overlooked and that appropriate measures should be taken along this line.
ALL FILIPINO citizens were urged by President Marcos to participate in the implementation of family planning and responsible parenthood “to assure greater opportunity for each Filipino to reach his full potential and to attain his individual dignity.” The President brought across this message in General Order No. 18 which also enjoins all universities, colleges and schools, government offices, mass media, civic and voluntary organizations of all creeds, and business and industrial enterprises to promote the concept of family welfare, responsible parenthood and family planning. The President directed the Department of Education and Culture to inform all schools of medicine, nursing, midwifery, allied medical professions, and social work “to prepare, plan and implement the integration of family planning in their curricula and to require from their graduates sufficient instruction in family planning as a prerequisite to qualifying for the appropriate licensing examination.
PERFORMANCE OF judges of Courts of First Instance, generally, has not been satisfactory, according to Secretary of Justice Vicente Abad Santos who issued an earnest appeal to every CFI judge in the country for renewed dedication to your duties and for total commitment to the goal of the New Society of affording a swift and impartial administration of justice to the needy.” Mr. Abad Santos- sounded the appeal after receiving the results of a study undertaken by the judiciary division on the performance of CFI judges for a six-month period covering February to July 1972. For the six-month period, CFI judges disposed of an average of 80 cases only or any average of 13 cases for every month”.
TOTAL TOURIST traffic to the Philippines this year increased by 10 percent from 144, 321 in 1971 to an estimated 159,000 in 1972. A survey conducted by the Board of Travel and Tourist Industry in November showed that nearly 99 per cent of foreign visitors have favorable impressions about the Philippines because of the improved peace and order situation. BTTI Commissioner Gregorio Araneta II said this year’s increase in traffic is significant considering that conditions have improved less than three months ago. Statistical projections by the BTTI indicate that the
The assassination attempt against Imelda is still the subject of conversation. The name of the assassin has been revealed, his background and possible connections.
Imelda has started to walk around the whole day. She has come to [Bahay] Pangarap with me to meet my golf mates, then went to the gym and the old antique where Sec. [Juan] Ponce Enrile and Cristina followed them, then back to the Palace where we ate dinner at the State Dining Room.
She met her doctors after lunch.
Met Sen. [Warren] Magnuson and ABC of Spain correspondent E. (Tico) Medina.
Worked on my papers.
But we have not recovered from the shock of the crime. My mind is not on my work yet.
Specially since the oligarchs and the old media men are back to their old habits, There is still so much to do. The reforms have not yet rooted except among the lower classes.
country will net a total income of $35 4 million from tourism this year. This represents actual tourist expenses for accommodations, dining”, entertainment, shopping and other expenditures.