Imelda came back to the palace at 10:30 AM. I pushed her in a wheelchair to the ground floor and on to the big Cadilac [sic] and up the small elevator to our quarters. But again on a wheelchair to Suite I.
She is still suffering pains from contractions but otherwise recovering normally although still depressed.
I shocked Ambassador [Henry] Byroade whom Sec. [Carlos] Romulo, on my direction, handed over to him the Note Verbal which requests the elevation of the negotiations on the Military Bases from the technical panel to the policy echelon level with the two points to be first discussed.
Duration of the bases
Intention of U.S. on long range missiles (ICBM [intercontinental ballistic missile] and IRBM [intermediate-range ballistic missile])
Juan T. David offered his services as lawyer for the First Lady. I politely refused him but thanked him.
Conferred with the lawyers, Sec. Vic [Vicente] Abad Santos, Sol. Gen. Estellito Mendoza, Sec. Juan Ponce Enrile, Dean Crispin Baizas and Delegate Estanislao Fernandez.
I demanded from the Herald Publisher, Sebastian Ugarte to tell me why the Herald is so vicious. My letter was hidden in a corner of page six. And at the back page a nasty article by Sanchez of the PNS [Philippine News Service] “RP Press not responsible for Imelda Abortion.”
He admitted that the press has been vicious and personal.
Met the Russian tourists.
1:25 AM June 6,[1] 1972[2]
Tuesday
Met the Executive Committee of the National Security Council at 11:00 AM on the agenda for the Friday National Security Council meeting.
Worked on the papers in my study.
Talked to Sen. Jose Roy on party matters. We now must choose the man to develop for national leadership. I mentioned the names of Sens. [Arturo] Tolentino, [Ambrosio] Padilla, [Emmanuel] Pelaez, [Lorenzo] Sumulong, [Gil] Puyat, [Leonardo] Perez, [Rene] Espina etc.
Met Sen. Tolentino for dinner. I asked him to hold himself available without declaring his candidacy. And he must strengthen himself within the party. So that we can assess the situation by December.
For I feel that with the money of Sen. Pres. Gil Puyat and Vice Pres. Fernando Lopez, they may win the convention of the Nacionalista Party. But they have no chance in the elections of 1973.
Since the proposals of the Constitutional Convention, no matter what it is, will probably be rejected by the people in a plebiscite, then the dominance of the two parties, NP and LP [Liberal Party], will continue. Each of the two parties will have an inspector.
So the official candidacy of each party will be important.
I will now meet with the various leaders of the party so that we can get them to unite and support our programs.
1:30 PM June 7,[3] 1972[4]
Wednesday
I have asked Sen. Pres. [Gil] Puyat to help unite the party if he and the others are interested in running for president. And they are now going to call conferences for this.
As I predicted Sens. [Arturo] Tolentino, [Ambrosio] Padilla, [Emmanuel] Pelaez, [Lorenzo] Teves and [Lorenzo] Sumulong are now going to behave to win the support of the party.
Also talked to Speaker Pro Temp Jose Aldeguer to be the bridge for rapprochement with the Laurels and the Lopezes so that they too will come back to the party for the campaign of 1973. They should participate in the convention to choose the presidential and senatorial candidates.
I revealed to Cong. [Ramon] Durano, [Constantino] Navarro and [Mohammad] Dimaporo my doubts as to whether there will be elections in 1973 because of the possibility that if the NPA’s [New People’s Army] do not start violence there may be attempts at a coup de’tat [sic] by the political groups or the armed forces group.
And that we must all prepare for an emergency.
I have asked the finalization of reforms to restructure our society. So that if power can again be consolidated the plans may be implemented.
This will now occupy me for the next two weeks.
Tonight I talked to:
[Geronimo] Ronnie Velasco on the investment program.
[Roberto] Bobby Benedicto on the use of KBS [Kanlaon Broadcasting System] radio. A survey as to effect of programs will be made.
[Marcelino] Lening Veloso, [Fernando] Nanding Veloso, [Teodulo] Teddy Natividad and Artem[io] Mate.
Gov. [Luis] Chavit Singson and Vigan Mayor [Evaristo] Singson on the turnabout of Melchor Padua and now that Bingbong [Vincent] Crisotogo is neutralized their men should be warned not to abuse or they will suffer the same fate.
[Ramon] Monching Cojuangco [Sr.], [Edmundo] Munding Reyes, Kokoy [Benjamin] Romualdez and Luis Tabuena on the afternoon newspapers.
The rains since yesterday caused floods all over Manila up to waistline in some cases [places]. Mayor [Ramon] Bagatsing [Sr.] is being blamed.
The plot to assassinate me has been confirmed by one of the co-conspirators paid an advance of P4,000. This was supposed to take place on Independence Day, June 12th.
The informer is Feliciano Batario alias Dading of 3515 Cecilio St. Bo. [Barrio] Obrero, Tondo Manila.
Cong. [Moises] Escueta who brought attention to this information because “although he is a Liberal, he would not want this to happen to the President,” assures the reliability of the informer.
I attach the report of Gen. [Fabian] Ver.
[1] Entry is misdated as June 7.
[2] Official Gazette for June 6, 1972: THE PRESIDENT presided at a meeting in the morning of the executive committee of the National Security Council, which was called to finalized preparations for the meeting of the National Security Council. Present at the meeting were Secretary of Foreign Affairs Carlos P. Romulo, Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile, Finance Secretary Cesar E. A. Virata, Justice Secretary Vicente Abad Santos, and Executive Secretary Alejandro Melchor, Jr., members; and Isabelo Castro, secretary of the committee; Senator Jose J. Roy, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Defense Undersecretary Jose M. Crisol, General Romeo Espino, chief of staff, AFP; Director Jolly Bugarin of the National Bureau of Investigation; Brig. Gen. Jonas Victoria, chief of the National Civil Defense Administration; Brig. Gen. Ismael Lapuz, chief of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency; and Brig. Gen. Ignacio Paz, chief of the Intelligence Service of the AFP. The President devoted the whole afternoon and early evening to paper work.
[3] Entry is misdated as June 8.
[4] Official Gazette for June 7, 1972: THE PRESIDENT had a full schedule of callers, which kept him at his study the whole morning and early afternoon. Notable among those received by the President were Ambassador Werner Sauter, non-resident envoy of Austria to the Philippines, who paid him a farewell call, and National Commander John H. Geiger of the American Legion, who called to pay his respects. During their brief conversation, Ambassador Sauter informed the President that Philippine exports to Austria had tripled the past few years. The Austrian envoy also expressed the view that trade relations between Austria and the Philippines would continue to expand, especially after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Eastern European socialist countries. The bulk of the President’s callers was composed of members of Congress and local executives who consulted him on matters concerning their respective constituencies. The President attended to his callers till 3 p.m. He then had a late lunch and a brief rest before working on urgent official papers in his private study.