The Manila International Airport Terminal burned down this morning. It is a complete loss. And the Manila Control Tower including the communications equipment valued at P200 million was burned. The building costs P30 million. When I visited it at 4:00 PM, it was still...
1972
January 21, 1972
Reports are repeated on the plans of the NPA [New People’s Army] to cause violence on or about the 24th of January (opening of congressional sessions). I enclosed the intelligence reports. Worked on the State of the Nation address. Am not contented. Too dry. Not...
January 20, 1972
Nationalist Chinese Foreign Minister Chao Shu Kai paid me a visit to assure me that there will be no negotiations with Red China on the problem of the two Chinas and to say that the US has repeatedly assured them that the US would abide by its commitments to Taiwan....
January 19, 1972
Played golf at 7:00 AM with Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, [Roberto] Bobby Benedicto, Greg[orio] Licaros and Amb. [Toshio] Urabe. But I walked only for first two holes and rode on the golf cart the rest of the game. Could not hit too well—five over par. But I was able...
January 18, 1972
Worked on the State of the Nation address and the information campaign. It seems that all the newspapers are going to pool their resources to fight the parliamentary system being debated in the Concon [Constitutional Convention]—all because they believe I am for it....
January 17, 1972
Imee and Irene left at 7:10 PM by PAL [Philippine Air Lines] for London. Now the palace is going to be blue and lonely again. I have become very irritable because of confinement to bed. Slept up to 5:00 PM this afternoon. Then brought the girls to the airport although...
January 16, 1972
Conference on the retraining and remotivation of the offices specially having to do with the barrios and the towns. Scolded the men a little as apparently the men in the field have lost their motivation and are not as dedicated as they used to [be]. Then there must be...
January 14, 1972
Finalized the budget, the reorganization of the Armed Forces and the Bureau of Customs. My vertigo has not improved notwithstanding the histamine shots by Dr. Cua Lim. And I felt pain in the chest muscles. So I have been resting. I intend to rest the whole day...
January 13, 1972
Met the governors and the congressmen the whole morning. Lunch at the house of Speaker [Cornelio] Villareal where we discussed: The reorganization of the entire government The RCO (the Rural Cooperative Office) with an appropriation of P150 million. The congressmen as...
January 12, 1972
We are establishing diplomatic relations with Romania and Yugoslavia in accordance with the trend to “open new windows” to the world. This was recommended by the Foreign Policy Council after listening to the Security Council with a briefing by Gen. [Fidel] Ramos on...