Started the repair of Manila streets. Inspected Rizal Avenue worked upon by the Armed Forces and the Com. on Highways at 3:00 PM.
At 6:00 p.m., met the representative of the American president on our calamity—Mr. Frickkel [sic] [Jarold Keiffer] and Mr. [Russel] McClure with Amb. [Henry] Byroade and Tom Niblack.
Then met the private contractors, Com. on Highways, Sec. of Nat. Def., Gen. [Amado] Santiago of the 51st Eng. Brigade on the large scale effort to repair the roads and to concrete 100 kilometers of Manila streets and 1,000 kilometers of national roads.
Amb. Byroade told me that their experts are almost sure that the M-14’s that were captured in Digoyo were manufactured in Taiwan. They may have been airdropped in the
Official Gazette for August 4, 1972: PRESIDENT MARCOS, ordered the fielding of more men from the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Bulacan, Pampanga and Nueva Ecija to see if the farmers could start replanting.
The President, expressed concern over the delay in replanting because it takes ordinarily one month for the seeds to mature as seedlings and three months for the seedlings to grow and produce grains.
The President earlier directed the DANR to procure at least 100,000 sacks of palay seeds so that they could be loaned to farmers at the rate of one cavan per hectare, payable from their harvest.
The President likewise, directed the DANR to:
(1) Look into the feasibility of utilizing the three government rain-making planes in the southern provinces, particularly in Cotabato and Davao, where a drought has been reported.
(2) Organize an anti-rat infestation campaign as well as a drive on the increased use of fertilizers to at least partially minimize the expected rice shortage as a result of the typhoons and floods.
Among other actions, the President consented to the sending of a delegation by the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation to the Munich Olympics “provided it is a ‘token delegation”, no government money would be spent for it, and the per diems of the members of the delegation would be reduced from $15 to $5.
Later in the day, the President received Jarold Keiffer, assistant USAID administrator, and Russel McClure, USAID disaster coordinator, who arrived; from; Washington to find out first hand the extent of damages caused by the flood and to determine how their government could be &f further assistance to the Philippines.
The USAID officials were accompanied to Malacañang by U.S. Ambassador Henry Byroade.
In the evening, the President held preliminary discussions with Felipe F. Cruz, representative of the Philippine Contractors’ Association, as well as with government officials involved in rehabilitation work, on the financing aspects of various rehabilitation projects, including a crash program to cement 100 kilometers of roads in the Greater Manila area, and 1,000 kilometers of national highways.
Also present at the conference were Executive Secretary Alejandro Melchor, Jr., Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile, Budget Commissioner Faustino Sy-Changco, RCA Chairman-General Manager Eliseo Villamor, Public Highways Commissioner Baltazar Aquino, and Brig. Gen. Amado Santiago, commander of the 51st Engineering Batallion.
In the afternoon, the President conducted an ocular survey of the roads damaged by the floods in the city of Manila and checked on repair work being done by men of the Bureau of Public Highways and AFP engineering batallion.
Back in Malacañang about 6:30 p.m., the President met with members of the Malacañang Press Corps.
Chinese mainland for the underground against the Communists, the Communists may have captured them and now deployed them to the Philippine Communists.
Gen. Huang, Deputy Chief of Intelligence of the Nationalist government is here, saw me at 1:00 PM. With the information of Amb. Byroade I will see him again tomorrow at 12:00 AM.