I must decide when to call an election—early next year or later in 1979 or 1980. I prefer 1977 but some of the leaders are strongly against it.
The concern of [James] Carter and his Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance, for human rights worries me. They may not be informed of the true situation.
We must decide not later than tomorrow. I can probably gain time by getting the Batasang Bayan to pass a resolution directing the Dept. of Local Government and Community Development to conduct an informal consultation with the barangays then report back to me and requesting that I make the decision on the manner and time of the election.
Since it is a parliamentary no-party forum of assembly and I shall still retain the power of martial law, I believe we should call an early election for the Batasang Pambansa (interim).
OPEC [Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries] raised oil prices by 5% to 10%. This may mean an additional oil bill of $78 million if the volume of consumption this year is unchanged.
No Official Gazette entry for this day.