I decided to call Sen. Dan [Daniel] Inouye to seek his help, today. It is providential that our house in Paoay Lake has a long distance telephone that can reach any part of the world. Sen. Inouye was in Washington when I arrived at 2:00 PM from the inauguration of the concrete road from San Nicolas to Dingras to Espiritu and Nueva Era.
Sen. Inouye seemed glad to know that we were on the verge of an agreement and seemed eager to help when I told him that the only possible obstacle was the increase of the Economic Assistance Fund from $150M to $200M.
It was about 1:00 AM in Washington and yet he was as energetic as ever.
He promised to work on it directly with the State and Defense Dept. and the President as soon as it was morning there. And to call me up. I gave him my telephone no. 880441.
Official Gazette for December 29, 1978: THE PRESIDENT said he has set the final talks on amendments to the Philippine-American military bases treaty in Malacañang on the last day of the year. “We hope everything will be ironed out by Sunday,” he said in an interview in Paoay, Ilocos Norte, He set the final date after a meeting with Gen. Romeo Espino, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief-of-staff. Gen. Espino heads the Philippine panel while US Ambassador Richard W. Murphy heads the US side.