I write this while waiting to bring King Mahendra and Queen Rajtra of Nepal to the MIA [Manila International Airport] for their departure at 11:55 for Australia. We have just finished
Official Gazette for April 22, 1971:PRESIDENT MARCOS and the First Lady, Imelda R. Marcos, tendered a formal dinner in honor of King Mahendra and Queen Ratna Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah, during which the President conferred the Order of Sikatuna, rank of Rajah, on the King, and the Golden Heart Presidential Award on the Queen.
Later in the evening, the President and the First Lady accompanied the visiting Royalty from Nepal to the Manila International Airport where they boarded a plane for their state visit to Australia.
Among those present at the dinner were Senate President and Mrs. Gil J. Puyat, Speaker and Mrs. Cornelio T. Villareal, Foreign Secretary Carlos P. Romulo, Education Secretary and Mrs. Juan Manuel, General Services Secretary Constancio Castañeda, Justice Secretary and Mrs. Vicente Abad Santos Central Bank Gov. and Mrs. Gregorio Licaros, chiefs of the diplomatic missions in the Phlippines, and members of the Royal Couple’s entourage.
The President had a full schedule of callers in the morning, among
1.Dr. Henry Clement, a tourism expert from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on assignment with the Presidential Economic Staff (PES) to help draft a tourist development program for the Philippines. Dr. Clement is author of the famed “Chechi Report,” which projects the future of tourism in the Pacific and the Far East.
2.Members of a team, of the Rural Volunteers of the Philippines (RSVP), who called to pay their respects prior to their departure for Agusan del Sur to engage in a summer project among the rural folks of the Land Authority resettlement area there.
3.Members of the Philippine football team, who also called to pay their respects preparatory to their departure for Japan to compete in the Asian Youth Football Tournament.
The President worked on state papers and went over reports from various government agencies the whole afternoon.
He submitted to the Commission on Appointments two more nominations to the courts of first instance, and issued a memorandum to all members of the Cabinet on the purchase of supplies and equipment, and an executive order creating a national committee to undertake preparations for the celebration of the 73rd anniversary of Independence Day on June 12.
Nominated to CFI posts were Ildefonso Bleza, state prosecutor, and Eduardo R. Bengzon, secretary of the Senate Electoral Tribunal, as judges of the courts of first instance of Mindoro Oriental and Negros Oriental, respectively.
In his memorandum to Cabinet members, the President ordered that all purchases of supplies, materials, equipment and the like by government offices should be made directly with reputable manufacturers or their duly registered and licensed distributors in the country, to the exclusion of middlemen, as a way of precluding overpricing.
In this connection, the President directed the Department of General Services to make a list of legitimate manufacturers and their duly registered or licensed distributors in the Philippines.
The President said that should the needed materials, supplies, and equipment be not in stock, a certification to that effect issued by the general manager of the reputable manufacturer or his duly authorized representative, or the firm’s duly registered and licensed distributor, shall be made the basis for the procurement through competitive public bidding of the needed materials or equipment. The certification, he said, shall be included in the claim for payment, otherwise any purchase of supplies, materials equipment and the like shall be considered irregular and therefore not be passed in audit.
Named to head the Independence Day committee were Labor Secretary Blas F. Ople, chairman; and Education Secretary Juan Manuel, vice-chairman.
For the purpose of discharging its functions effectively, the committee was empowered to create sub-committees as may be necessary.
It was also authorized to call upon any department, bureau, office, agency or instrumentality of the government, including government-owned or controlled corporations, for assistance to insure the success of the celebration.
dinner before which I decorated the King with the Ancient Order of Sikatuna rank of Rajah and Imelda the queen with the Order of the Golden Heart.
They visited the IRRI [International Rice Research Institute] at noon, guided by Imelda who bought them home by helicopter.
The king has formally invited me to visit Nepal. It looks like we may have to go.
Yesterday I gave a luncheon for former Sec. of the Treasury David Kennedy, Mrs. Kennedy, the daughter Mrs. Campbell and son-in-law, Mr. Campbell.
This noon I tendered a luncheon for Mr. Greenberg of the Phil-American Life. Imelda could not attend as she brought the king and queen to IRRI.
Last night they had Commander Dante [Bernabe Buscayno] and six other commanders of the NPA [New People’s Army] surrounded in the Zambales mountains. And the prospects were good of getting them and their fifty men.
But no reports up to now.
And the front organizations of the communists in Manila as well as in the provinces are busy consolidating, recruiting, politicalizing and conducting seminars.
The students, drivers and other laborers are also busy along the same lines.
So we must keep our guard up.