[Henry] Kissinger has been appt. Sec. of State by Pres. [Richard] Nixon. He wants to see me soon on pending problems.
Spent the day on the program for mine development as well as the systematic development of forest resources.
Official Gazette for August 23, 1973: THE PRESIDENT has directed a number of government officials to formulate measures to avert a shortage of cooking oil and coconut by-products. Through Letter of Instructions No. 115, the Chief Executive ordered the Administrator of the Philippine Coconut Administration and the secretaries of national defense, trade, and agriculture and natural resources to: 1) Implement a systematic and efficient method of distributing cooking oil and essential coconut by-products to relieve the pressure of demand for these commodities; 2) Require the cooking oil industry to speed up delivery of cooking oil outlets in order to normalize supply and demand; 3) Restore order in the coconut industry which is wracked with internal conflicts between the producers and planters on one hand, and the refiners and the copra and coconut oil exporters, on the other hand; and 4) Introduce other reasonable measures essential to the successful prosecution of government and private sectors efforts to contain, solve and end the crisis in the coconut, industry.
THE PRESIDENT called on radio and television broadcasters to continue helping in the attainment of the objectives of the New Society even as he congratulated them for their contribution in effecting needed reforms for the country. The President told the officers of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas following their induction into office, that the present reform movement means a change in the heart, attitudes and purposes of the people and requires passionate adherence to the basic objectives of the New Society. The President said that although ideas and ideologies may be easily discarded by men busy at earning; a living, the repetition of such ideas through interesting and attractive forms will ensure that they will not be easily discarded by the people through lack of time or attention.
DEPARTMENT of Justice set the retirements for registration of a voluntary deed or instrument purporting to be an encumbrance or a conveyance of private agricultural land or any portion of the land. The new circular supersedes Circular No. 17 dated May 29, 1973. It also applies to land within the cities. Acting Justice Secretary Catalino Macaraig Jr. said that under the new justice department circular, the registrant must present an affidavit that the land involved is not tenanted, or if tenanted, the same is not primarily devoted to the production of rice and/or corn as of October 21, 1972 and on or about the date of registration. The circular further provides that if only a portion of the land is primarily devoted to the production of rice and/or corn and such area so devoted is tenanted, no such deed or instrument shall be registered unless accompanied by an affidavit stating the area (size) of the portion which is tenanted and primarily devoted to rice and/or corn.
THE PRESIDENT issued Decree 273 authorizing the Philippine Medical Care Commission to increase the extent and scope of benefits of medicare beneficiaries, provided that actuarial studies show that the resources of the medical care plan permit such additional benefits, without need for additional contributions from employes and employers. The new decree also provides for two additional benefits, covering anesthesiologist’s and operating room fees.
DEFENSE Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile ordered the lifting of Constabulary control over the police forces of six more towns following the return of normalcy in those localities. The defense chief’s order followed a recommendation from Brig. Gen. Fidel V. Ramos, PC chief, who in his inspection trip to these. provinces have found the peace and order condition to have greatly improved since the imposition of Martial Law. The towns are Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte; Nueva Valencia, Iloilo; Leyte, Leyte; San Francisco and Bantayan, Cebu; and Calapan, Mindoro Oriental.
Claim jumpers are blocking the speedy exploitation of our mineral resources. So I ordered the summary hearings of all conflicts and peremptory orders for the possession and exploration as well as exploitation of the mineral claim.
And the setting up of plywood factories and processing plants for wood.
There is an oversupply of bananas throughout the world. So I have ordered the area of banana plantations limited to 21,000 hectares.
Rains have come late in Tarlac and Pangasinan. And we may have a late November or December harvest—if there is no drought that may destroy the crops.