This is the first time the family spends Holy Week in Manila and during my presidency in Malacañang. And we are close to each other staying with Imee.
Yesterday when Dr. Piamonte removed the bandages off Imee’s face, I was alarmed at her swollen face. The eyes are still black from the trauma of the operation on the deviated septum. Her injury of the nose some time ago when she hit the hand rail of the golf cart with her nose was worse than we thought.
We had hoped that the nose would improve but I thought that it had not although the doctor tells us that the whole face including the nose is still swollen and it would not subside until after a month. So we are still hoping that she will look better when she comes back from England.
The children are planning to leave for school in England on the 14th and that is only 6 days away.
V.P. [Fernando] Lopez has declared in Baguio that he is definitely running for President in 1973 if he is nominated by a coalition or the Nationalista Party. Otherwise he retires.
So has Sen. Salvador Laurel proclaimed himself in Batangas some time ago.
Sen. Gerardo Roxas declared himself available for the Presidency in Cebu.
But they are supposed to organize a coalition for the 1971 local elections against all my candidates. This, however, are all newspaper stories.
I wish they would do so. I estimate they would not be able to get 10% of the governors and mayors. Then all the issues they are raising would be settled.
So we will have to campaign hard this year.
The political moves are too early. This violates the spirit of the law limiting the period for nomination and campaign to 150 days for national candidates and 90 days for local candidates.
But this is encourage[d] by the newspaper[s] without exception.
The Bulacan PC [Philippine Constabulary] and elements of the 10th BCT [Battalion Combat Team] have surrounded some HMBs [Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan] in Biak na Bato
No Official Gazette entry for this day.
area in Sta. Maria Bulacan, killed two HMB’s, captured the Amazons as of last night, and still waiting to pounce on the others, suffering only one, wounded in the leg.
We are, however, waiting for the planned attack on the government installation in Central Luzon, set for 2300 hours.