Met with the Congressmen all morning. Wednesday is Congressmen’s day.
Worked out with Cesar Virata and Greg[orio] Licaros, the final shape of the export tax bill in conference with Sen. W[enceslao] Lagumbay, chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means who is suspected of receiving lobby money for the special treatment given to certain commodities; Congs. [Natalio] Castillo and [James] Chiongbian as well as [Marcelino] Lening Veloso the House Majority Floor Leader.
Spent the afternoon on the Army problems and the plans for counter-subversion.
OG April 22, 1970: President Marcos had occasion to discuss a wide range of problems, notably legislative proposals pending in Congress, with members of the House of Representatives, who came calling on Congressmen’s Day, regularly set on Wednesday.
Among others, the President urged speedy action on the export tax bill. Earlier, he was briefed by other officials on the details of the bill, during which he asked that a better system of classification be devised for export products eyed for levies, to make taxation more equitable. Those who briefed the President were NEC Chairman Placido Mapa, Jr., and Secretary of Finance Cesar E. A. Virata.
Taking time off from his meetings with congressmen, the President inducted Dr. Josefina R. Navarro as Manila’s assistant superintendent for elementary education, vice Mrs. Virginia M. Buenaflor, retired. Among the congressmen who saw the President were Speaker Pro-tempore Jose Aldeguer, House Majority Floorleader Marcelino Veloso, Natalio P. Castillo of Bohol, James Chiongbian of South Cotabato, Lamberto Macias of Negros Oriental, Felipe Azcuña of Zamboanga del Norte, Justiniano S. Montano of Cavite, Amando Cope of Albay, Manuel Zosa of Cebu, Artemio Mate of Leyte.
Corazon Primicias of Pangasinan, Democrito O. Plaza of Agusan del Sur, Jose Neri of Camiguin, Fernando Veloso of Western Samar, Guillermo Sanchez of Agusan del Norte, Andres Cosalan of Benguet, Vicente Cerilles of Zamboanga del Sur, Ali Dimaporo of Lanao del Sur, Rodolfo Albano of Isabela, Romulo Lumauig of Ifugao, Nicanor Yñiguez of Southern Leyte; Pablo Malasarte of Bohol, Constantino Navarro of Surigao del Norte, Felipe Almazan of Kalinga-Apayao, Felipe Abrigo of Eastern Samar, Floro Crisologo of Uocos Sur, Felix Fuentebella of Camarines Sur, Leopoldo Diaz of Nueva Ecija, Jose Puyat of Surigao del Sur, Indanan Anni of Sulu, Emerito Calderon of Cebu, Alfredor Lamen of Mountain Province, and Rafael Aquino of Sorsogon.
For the rest of the day, the President concentrated on his desk work. Except for brief rests, he continued to work at his desk through the afternoon and evening.
The President certified to Congress Senate Bill No. 153, seeking to institute a Coconut Investment Fund and creating the Coconut Investment Company to administer it.
Introduced by Senators Dominador Aytona, Emmanuel Pelaez and Lorenzo Tañada, the bill proposes a tax on copra and other coconut products, out of which a special fund will be set up, to be known as the Coconut Investment Fund. The bill aims at accelerating the development of the coconut industry by providing adequate medium and long term financing for capital investment, precisely through the special fund to be administered by the Coconut Investment Company.
The President also asked the Police Commission to “give the country the best policemen it can train,” by stepping up its police training program to increase its output to 2,400 trained policemen per quarter, from the present rate of 1,200. The Chief Executive’s instruction to the Polcom was in line with the government’s accelerated program to modernize and improve police services.The President immediately authorized the release of 18 units of prefabricated school buildings for the police academies, and ordered the establishment of new ones.
Located the two islands in Indonesia where Larry Truckman, [Sergio] Osmeña’s [Jr.] partner, is logging under a concession granted by Pres. Suharto.
Received the surrender this morning of Commander Sandoval, the top HMB [Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan] of Nueva Ecija. He is willing to surrender his men.
A certain Dr. Nicdao is negotiating the surrender of Dante [Bernabe Buscayno] but Dante is afraid of [Benigno] Ninoy Aquino [Jr.] (whatever that means).