I start a daily written record of my second term in office as President. This will be kept in loose-leaf so that all kinds of materials may be attached to the binder. Thus the background should be a treatise on the elections of 1969. This will be composed of my critique as well as the commentaries on the technique of victory.
New Year—Left Ising’s [Maria Luisa Madrigal-Vazquez] party for [U.S.] V[ice] P[resident] [Spiro] Agnew and the Foreign Ministers at 11:35 PM so that we could welcome New Year with the children. They were trying out the Bocaue sparklers at the garden and fountain in front of the main gate. Hope we did not break Ising’s party as VP and Mrs. Agnew followed us home and he tried a few sparkles himself before he went to bed.[1]
Mass at 12:40. Sleep at 1:30 AM. Woke up at 7:00, back to bed to wake up and talk to VP and Mrs. Agnew up to 9:00 AM.
[p.2] [Yesterday I finally transferred all of my worldly possessions to the Filipino people through the Ferdinand E. Marcos Foundation. I have been planning this for many years but I felt that the beginning of my second term was the most propitious time. This was a decision arrived at after a long deliberation and was not the result of pique, anger, despair or emotion—nor is it just a political stunt. I have no further political plans[2]
And it seems a burden has been lifted from my shoulders.
The surprising thing is that the reaction of people seem to be of no consequence to me. It was a noble act waiting to be done. I feel I am above all the pettiness of men and I look down on them with some contempt but with a counter balance of understanding.[3]
MALACAÑANG
[1] Senate President Puyat hosted FM at New Years Eve in QC, earlier was merienda cena hosted by Pacita M. Gonzales.
[2] MC columnists on 2 January 1970: Ernesto Granada :” President Marcos unprecedented act of giving up his wealth is perhaps the greatest humanitarian gesture in land since Jose Rizal threw his other slipper into Laguna de Bay . ” Jose C. Balein : “What was left anyway after elections…We are sure that many Filipnos if elected twice to the presidency, would not hesitate to do what he has done.” T o address public cynicism on this act as reported in the press, FM sent a statement to the Philippines Free Press on the Foundation, T. Locsin quotes from this on 31 January 1970: “The decision to create the Ferdinand E. Marcos Foundation, Inc. was taken early in 1969. It was not an altogether easy decision to make, but once made, my wife and I agreed that whether I won or lost the election, the Foundation should be formed, to help in the advancement of education, science, technology and the arts. I asked a group of five men to study the plan. This was composed of Messrs. Juan Ponce Enrile, Geronimo Velasco, Cesar Virata, Cesar Zalamea, and Onofre D. Corpuz. They will now act as trustees of the Foundation on the basis of official papers filed today, 22 January 1970, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, incorporating the Foundation. “ The corporation will take over the assets that I will transfer, and these assets will constitute the actual Foundation for educational, scientific, cultural and charitable purposes. As soon as the corporation is finally organized, and the assets to be transferred have been completely inventoried, the actual transfer shall be made through a deed of trust to be executed by me, with the conformity of the First Lady, my wife. The Foundation will hold title to the property, administer it and utilize its income according to its stated purposes. Announcement of the Foundation could have been made any time during the previous year; but it was a political year, and that mere fact alone could have been made the basis of much skepticism, questioning and ridicule. The Foundation would have been dismissed as pure political gimmickry, an attempt to buy votes. So I urged complete discretion on the part of the prospective trustees, and on my part, avoided the slightest reference to it. It was not until New Year’s E ve that I thought the announcement could be made. I felt then that it was opportune to make the announcement, having earlier, in my second Inaugural Address, called for new measures of self-sacrifice, and having glimpsed some kind of eagerness on the part of the public to respond to that appeal .” *Cesar Virata, in a 2019 conversation, said he knew nothing about the Marcos Foundation, nor his being named Trustee of the Foundation.
[3] Both Diary and Official Gazette leave out details reported in the MC . His first day in O ffice on his S econd term started with golf with ex-Prime Minister Kishi accompanied by Japanese Amb assador Urabe a n d Philippine Amb assador to Japan Laurel , then at 9.30 paper work , then met with 44 representatives of foreign governments who attended his inaugur al . USVP Agnew and astronaut Eugene C ernan of Apollo 11 presented a moon rock and a Philippine fl ag they brought on the flight that were received with these remarks: “I remind the Vice Presiden t , or rather at th e instance of Bongbong, that Nixon promised Bongbong a ticket on the first commercial liner to the moon .” The Sp anish Foreign Minister presented a Katipunan flag and five bladed weapons (2 sabers, 2 kris , 1 bolo) received with the words that these were “symbols of courage and manhood that are returned to our land…our land was occupied but our h earts were not conquered.” I n the evening , President attended a party at the home of Pacita M. Gonzalez and met with B lue Ladies and Marcos-Lopez election Coordinating secretariat .