Saturday
I actually write this at 12:10 A.M. on Sunday evening as I have been busy and occupied.
The day started with [Joaquin] Chino Roces and Enriquito Zobel. Chino came to say that he was for the success of my administration and that his paper would help. He also pumped me for information. “Are you decided to arrest them?” he inquired. I said yes but I must settle the economic questions of the stability of the currency, the legislative program and the social welfare program first. And there must be an overt act. Enriquito said—“But not too late, Mr. President.” Not much advance from the last meeting.
I ordered the final draft of the contract for the private buyers to put up the P100 million for the Trading Centers of Virginia tobacco, to change the classifiers and graders with those coming from the buyers, and to convert the liability that is Virginia tobacco now into an asset by making it an export product. Had Moreno, [Placido] Mapa [Jr.] and Congs. [Floro] Crisologo and [Simeon] Valdez in the conference. Told Sen. Pres. [Gil] Puyat about it.
Ordered Nawasa [National Water and Sewage Authority] not to increase the rates of water and sewage until there was a reorganization. Asked Sec. [Felix] Makasiar, Sec. [Blas] Ople and Gov’t. [Government] Corporate Counsel to study the limits of the Collective Bargaining Agreement on changes and assignments of personnel.
Had lunch with one half of the jet fighter pilots of the 5th Fighter Wing under Gen. [Jose] Rancudo. They looked like the better type of officers.
Must now lift the gold subsidy but should allow the sale of gold in the open market to make up for the lost income.
Played 18 holes in Mansion Golf Course jogging up and down the hillsides.
Office of the President
of the Philippines
Malacañang
Also at 12:10 AM March 29, 1970[1]
Sunday
Quiet comparatively.
Easter Sunday hunt for the children at the bowl and pergola. Irene and Imee got the big eggs worth P50. The bunnies are worth P15 and the eggs P2.00. There were at least twenty five children of all types of friends.
Imee and Irene left with some of the children for Manila after the mass as they have a lot of homework to do although there are no classes tomorrow.
Lunch with the other half of the 5th Fighter Wing jet fighter pilots.
Then a nap from 2-3 PM although I could not sleep well and golf from 3 to 6—18 holes.
The Manila Chronicle has come out this Sunday with a vicious front page editorial on Martial Law which included a cartoon of the country tied up captive with all the rats representing the ills of the country and the sword of Damocles Martial Law over his head.
It sounded like an [Ernesto] Ernie Granada or I[ndalencio] P. Soliongco editorial. They must be agitated by the fear of arrest if I suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus.
Office of the President
of the Philippines
Malacañang
11:55 PM March 30, 1970[2]
Monday
Returned to Manila at 8:15 AM.
Worked on the retirement on April 1st of all generals including Task Force Lawin Commander [Rosso] Saballones, who will be replaced by Col. [Cesar] Jasmin, his deputy to be Lt. Col. Tomas Diaz, Gen. Sangalang of the 2nd PC Zone who will be replaced by Col. Zosimo Paredes, his deputy, Gen. Benjamin Reyes of the 3rd PC Zone who shall be replaced by Col. [Pantaleon] Dumlao, C-2 presently, Gen. Oanes of the 4th PC Zone who shall be replaced by Col. Avila. Col. Tutaan, C-1 presently will become the Deputy Chief of Constabulary.
All the officers of PMA [Philippine Military Academy] Class ’44 and ’45 are retired except those who need nine days to attain their fifth fogey pay who are extended nine days to April 10th. This includes Commodore [Manuel] Cabal, CG [Commanding General] of Sowescom [South West Command] and his deputy, Col. Irlanda.
Got the senate moving on the export tax. It seems they want to classify exports into processed, semi-processed and not processed on the basis of the UN [United Nations] classification on the basis of 12%, 10% and 4%. We hold a caucus tomorrow.
Met with ASAC and kept it under my office. Sam Salientes and Gen. Balao as well as Com. [Faustino] Sychangco.
Ordered Sec. [Antonio] Syquio and Dir. Decena to finish the plans for the Manila Bay Road.
Met with VP [Fernando] Lopez, [Ernesto] Maceda, [Placido] Mapa [Jr.] and later [Amadeo] Cruz as well as [Arturo] Bong Tanco [Jr.] to organize the Price Control Council with the VP as Chairman, Maceda as Vice Chairman and the Department of Commerce and Industry furnishing the secretariat.
I am most interested in organizing cooperatives in every town to tie up with the APC [Agricultural Productivity Commission], ACA [Agricultural Credit Administration] and the PACD [Presidential Assistant on Community Development]—as well as the consumers’ cooperatives and the GMFTM [Greater Manila Food Terminal Market]. This will answer the problem of prices and the middlemen.
Office of the President
of the Philippines
Malacañang
11:35 PM March 31, 1970[3]
Tuesday
This marks the end of the month that is identified with tragedy, “the Ides of March” and Magsaysay’s death, etc.
Had the weekly Tuesday caucus of Congressional leaders. Worked out the details of the export tax bill. Looks like sugar and desiccated coconut, the first the Lopezes and the second [Gil] Puyat as well as canned pineapple represented by [Emmanuel] Pelaez (Del Monte Canning) have succeeded in getting a categorized or classified bill of Relatively processed, Semi processed and Processed at tentatively 15-10-5% although it may be brought down to 12-9-6%.
Decided to increase the minimum wage. Seven Pesos is the starting point. It could go up to Nine.
Met Bert [Roberto] Oca of the Pinagbuklod nang Mga Manggagawang Pilipino to present a day’s stoppage of work which he agreed to but after a meeting with his group tomorrow morning—he, Pedro Fernandez, Jose Hernandez, Cipriano Cid, [Eulogio] Lerum and others.
[Vicente] Ting Paterno does not seem to be too eager to join BOI [Board of Investments]. So I may have to put [Placido] Mapa [Jr.] or [Roman] June Cruz.
Met the Press Photographers with Kits [Francisco] Tatad.
Have written Cesar Lanuza and Leo [Leonides] Virata to prepare two projects on abaca pulp and paper by Friday.
Proposed a railroad for Mindanao in the caucus.
[1] Official Gazet te for March 29, 1970: President and Mrs. Marcos spent a pleasant Easter Sunday. In the morning the First Couple joined the Marcos children and their friends for an “Easter egg hunt” behind the Mansion House. Later, the First Family heard Mass at the amphitheater kiosk. After the Mass, the President conferred with government officials, among them Sen. Mamintal Tamano and other Mindanao leaders, who were spending the Holy Week in Baguio City. At noon, the President had lunch with a group of Air Force officers led by Brig. Gen. Jose Rancudo , commander of the 5th Fighter Wing, with headquarters at Basa Air Base, Floridablanca , Pampanga. The Air Force officers called at the Mansion House to present Bongbong with a miniature model of the latest jet fighter aircraft. In the course of the day, the President called a number of Cabinet officials by telephone for briefings on their respective areas. In an interview with Malacañang newsmen, the President said that the problem of prices was the first to be tackled after the Holy Week. The President has alerted the Department of Commerce and Industry. on the implementation of the price control measure.The bill, which created a Price Control Council, was one of the key measures enacted by Congress before the Holy Week recess. The President also disclosed that the groundwork has been laid for a nationwide network of consumers and agricultural cooperatives, “being-established by the PACD, the Agricultural Productivity Commission and the Agricultural Credit Administration. “I would like to see a direct tie-up between the producers cooperatives and the consumers cooperatives,” the President said.
[2] Official Gazette for March 30, 1970: President Marcos arrived about 9 a.m. in Manila after an early morning flight from Baguio City where he spent most of the Holy Week, with side trips to the Ilocos provinces where he surveyed conditions and conferred with local officials on the region’s problems. Soon after settling down to his Malacañang schedule, the President summoned various officials for impromptu conferences on urgent state business. Most of the talks were held in private in his study. Among others, he conferred with Secretary of National Defense Juan Ponce Enrile and AFP brass; Budget Commissioner Faustino Sy- Changco , and close aides. Among other actions, the President created two special committees, one to look into the Tondo foreshore lands problems and the needs of residents in the area; the other to study the salary and wage scales of personnel of government-owned or controlled corporations. The Chief Executive also ordered Government Corporate Counsel Leopoldo Abellera to act within three days on all contracts of government corporations coursed through his office. The President noted with concern the adverse financial effects of the delay in the processing of contract documents for projects proposed by the various government corporations, which are usually coursed through the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel for evaluation ultimately resulting in loss of income among implementing government Corporations. He also directed Secretary of Labor Blas F. Ople to mediate immediately the strike called by some 50 employees of Rizal Park against the park management. The President said he could not grant off-hand the demands of the striking workers without first conducting an investigation. He stressed that both sides in the dispute should have a fair hearing. Because of the pressure of work, which built up during his sojourn in the Pines City, the President rescheduled the meeting of the Foreign Policy Council, formerly set for this week, to a date still to be decided next week. The Council will assess the events in Cambodia, in relation to the country’s interests. The President worked at his desk through the afternoon and early evening. He took time out from his paper work late in the afternoon to confer with the prospective members of the Price Control Council on the implementation of the Price Control law which was enacted by Congress recently. Present were Vice President Lopez, who is also the Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Secretary of Commerce and Industry Ernesto Maceda , NEC Chairman Placido Mapa , Jr. and Secretary of Health Amadeo H. Cruz. Also present was Agriculture Undersecretary Arturo Tangco , Jr. The council also have a representative of the consumers as member.
[3] Official Gazette for March 31, 1970: President Marcos had a long meeting with Nacionalista Party senators and Congress leaders on measures pending in Congress, particularly bills pertaining to labor welfare. He asked the prime movers in Congress during the 3-hour meeting starting at 10:30 a.m. to expedite the move ment of the bills through the le gislative mill in view of the need for them. Present at the caucus were Vice-President Fernando Lopez, Senate President Gil J. Puyat, Speaker Jose B. Laurel, Jr., Senate President Protempore Jose J. Roy, Speaker Protempore Jose Aldeguer ; Senator Arturo M. Tolentino, Dominador Aytona , Wenceslao R. Lagumbay , Helen Benitez, Leonardo Perez, Lorenzo Teves , Emmanuel Pelaez , Lorenzo Sumulong , Salvador Laurel, Rene Espina , Mamintal Tamano ; Reps. Marcelino Veloso, Jose Alberto and Natalio P. Castillo; Secretary of Finance Cesar E. A. Virata , NEC Chairman and PES Director-General Placido Mapa , Jr. Central Bank Governor Gregorio S. Licaros , Bud get Commissioner Faustino Sy- Changco , Assistant Executive Secretary Flores Bayot , and Presidential Executive Assistant Jacobo C. Clave. The President saw no other outside group during the day, except a delegation of some 59 press photographers who presented their views on the right of Malacañang photographers to cover student demonstrations. They were headed by Manuel Silva and Domingo Suba of the Manila Times . For most of the working day, the President focused on his desk work. Among other actions, he named four more members to the PTTA board, leaving only one vacancy; and ordered Executive Secretary Alejandro Melchor, Jr. to study the feasibility of putting up a village for handicapped persons, in response to the petition of an organization of blind people, Tinig ng mga Pinagkaitan ng Liwanag , for such a place where they could live and work. Appointed to the PTTA board were: Firmo Liwanag , president of the Manila Jaycees; Antonio Delgado, Jose Cobarrubias , and Immigration Commissioner Edmundo Reyes. The President also appointed Francisco G. Abrogar as member of the Provincial Board of Misamis Oriental.