2:45 AM Jan. 1, 1973
New Year after
Dinner, dancing and
mass
Issued the decree organizing the citizens Assembly today after meeting with the SND [Secretary of National Defense], Chief of Staff, General Staff and the major service commanders, the Executive Secretary, Sec. of Justice, Local Gov’t. [Government] and Community Development, Gov. [Benjamin] Romualdez, Sec. [Carlos] Romulo, the Solicitor General and Sec. Guimo de Vega.
Today, Jan. 1st, I will refer the call of Congress to a session, elections and the call to a plebiscite to the Citizens Assembly.
There seems to be an 80-20 vote in surveys for martial law to continue and for Congress not to be called to a session as well as to suspend the plebiscite indefinitely.
Official Gazette for December 31, 1972: PRESIDENT MARCOS created citizens assemblies in all barrios, towns and cities in the Philippines to widen the base of citizen involvement in the democratic process. Creation of the assemblies was embodied in Presidential Decree No. 86 issued on New Year’s Eve. The citizen assemblies brings into the active political process all citizens of the Philippines at least 15 years of age. It is an improvement over the constitutional proposal that seeks the enfranchisement of 18-year olds, and the provision of the Revised Barrio Charter, Republic Act No. 3590, that provides for the barrio assembly consisting of all persons who are residents of the barrio for at least six months and who are 18 years of age or over.
“STRICT NEUTRALITY” in the coming plebiscite on the proposed Constitution, was enjoined by the Commission on Elections on all its officials despite the general rule allowing government personnel to campaign for either “yes” or “no” vote. In explaining the order, Chairman Jaime N Ferrer and Commissioners Lino M. Patajo and Jose Mendoza said active participation in the campaign for either side by those connected with the Comelec “might adversely affect their image as impartial officials charged with the enforcement of election laws and thereby lessen their effectiveness, as such.”