The conference committee on the stabilization tax bill approved the conference report with the amendment that instead of sterilization of the last 25% of the proceeds it
Official Gazette for April 29, 1970: President Marcos had a big group of callers—a delegation of governors and city mayors—who came upon the close of the annual convention of the League of Provincial Governors and City Mayors.
In a talk with them, the President outlined the priorities for the release of previously frozen public works funds. He also discussed with them various problems in the provinces.
The President advised the local executives to prepare their programs and requests for fund releases according to the priorities set, so that these funds, whenever available, can be included in the overall program. The main priorities are:
1) Portworks, particularly those which will boost export trade. 2) Schoolhouses, which will be alloted first to areas which suffered the total destruction or damage of such buildings. 3) Waterworks, which had been started but were stopped for one reason or another. The President also directed the Budget Commissioner and the Public works Director to determine which provinces up to now have no capitol funding, and to give top priority to the construction of the same. Through Executive Secretary Alejandro Melchor, Jr., the President also asked Budget Commissioner Faustino Sy-Changco to release initially P50,000 each for provinces which need to build capitol buildings. The total allocation authorized by the President for each provincial capitol was P400,000.
It being congressmen’s day in Malacañang, the President also received all comers from Congress. Among those who saw him for consultations on various problems of their constituencies were Reps. Roque Ablan. Jr. of Ilocos Norte, Lorenzo Sarmiento of Davao del Norte, James Chiongbian of South Cotabato, William Chiongbian of Misamis Occidental, and Felipe Azcuria of Zamboanga del Norte.
Apart from these callers, the President attended mostly to state papers. Among others, he certified a new batch of bills to Congress for early action. He also approved new appointments, most of them to the public schools system.
Aside from the four bills, the President also certified Senate Joint Resolution No. 1 which would establish basic policies for social and economic development through environmental planning.
The bills certified were: 1) House Bill No. 1056, which seeks to increase the rates of import duties on certain articles. 2) House Bill No. 537, which seeks to regulate the practice of agricultural technology in the Philippines. 3) Senate Bill No. 1, which seeks to ordain and institute a National Building Code of the Philippines. 4) House Bill No. 1674, which would recognize the juridical personality of, and exempt from taxation, the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture.
Appointed by the President were: 1) Dr. Clodualdo H. Leocadio as assistant director of the bureau of public schools. 2) Maria Clara Lorenzo-Lobregat as member of the Board of Administrators of the Philippine Coconut Administration; 3) Abraham R. Foronda as municipal judge of Kabugao, Kalinga-Apayao; and 4) Dr. Estefania Aldaba Lim (re-appointment) member, Board of Textbooks.
The President also created an executive committee which will take charge of the arrangements for holding the 21st Colombo Plan Consultative Committee meeting scheduled in the. Philippines next November. Named to compose the executive committee were Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Manuel Collantes, chairman; and Commerce Undersecretary Johnny Araneta, Defense Undersecretary Manuel Q. Salientes, Education Undersecretary Juan Manuel, Presidential Executive Assistant Jacobo C. Clave, Assistant Executive Secretary Ponciano Mathay, NEC Executive Director Rizalino R. Pablo, PES Deputy Director-General Apolina-rio Orosa, Mayor Antonio Villegas, and Chief Budget Analyst Antonio de la Torre of the Budget Commission, members.
He continued to study government reports and act on official papers through the afternoon, and into evening.
goes to the DBP [Development Bank of the Philippines] for the payment of its obligations. I sent Leo Virata to the Senate to explain to the Nacionalista senators’ caucus that he has obligations that are urgent—$67 million by the end of the month and $289 million by the end of June.
The House has approved the conference report but the Senate is still debating it although Senate President Gil Puyat promised they would hold on and keep the session going until it is approved.
The Labor groups have allegedly withdrawn their invitation for me to address them on Labor Day, May 1st. Before that Sec. [Blas] Ople on his own announced that for security reasons I am not attending the Labor Day celebration. Labor is supposed to demonstrate against Congress and me because I certified the bill on minimum wage for P8 for industrial and P5 for non-industrial workers.
Ople recommends that I meet with the labor leaders and I have agreed to do so tomorrow noon at 1:00 PM. But I do not wish to compromise as the labor leaders are getting too arrogant and are trying to intimidate the Congress and me.
Actually the minimum wage should be P7 and P4.50.
Gov. Primicias won against Gov. Isidro Rodriguez who is feeling hurt for the Chairmanship of the League of Governors and City Mayors. Inducted the new offices including Cocoy [Benjamin] Romualdez as Vice Chairman, Gov. [Jose] Roño secretary general.