December 6, 1971

Conference on:

1. The Free Trade Zone
2. Nassco [National Shipyards and Steel Corporation] and the sale or lease of its property in the Free Trade Zone
3. Reparations—How it can be used for the development program
4. BOI [Board of Investments] registered industries that are not progressing well—how we can help them
5. Legislative program
6. Small Arms Manufacture

Official Gazette for December 6, 1971: PRESIDENT MARCOS met with the officials concerned on the implementation of government projects, among them the Foreign Trade Zone, and on ways of speeding up their completion.
Present at the conference were Executive Secretary Alejandro Melchor, Jr., PES Director-General Apolinario Orosa, DBP Chairman Leonides Virata, OEC Administrator Eduardo Rodriguez, REPACOM Chairman Anacleto Mangaser, and FTZ Commissioners Dioscoro Manrique and Eugenia Banzon Jose.
During the meeting, the President ordered:
1. That plans for the 500-hectare trade zone be immediately1 updated and studies made on how all government departments and agencies could be mobilized to help in successfully promoting the project;
2. Administrator Rodriguez to prepare for the implementation of a Cabinet decision to dispose of the shipbuilding facilities of the NASSCO within the FTZ. The Cabinet has decided that NASSCO facilities in the zone be leased or sold to the private sector on condition that a shipbuilding complex be set up in the area;
3. Director-General Orosa to submit a list of all industries that were receiving incentives but were not moving along satisfactorily;
4. The Reparations Commission to participate in the development in FTZ and other development projects;
5. The National Economic Council, the Board of Investments, the Presidential Economic Staff and the Reparations Commission to get together and undertake studies on how and where private industries and investments could be helped by the Reparations Commission;
6. That plans be drawn for the establishment of a copper smelting plant in the country; and
7. Coordination of all departments in the formulation of legislative proposals, including the proposed abolition of the Rice and Corn Administration and the setting up of rice and corn price levels.
After the conference, the President attended to a few scheduled callers, among whom were Governor-elect Carlos Cajelo of Cotabato, and Mayors Amando Laurel of Talisay, Batangas, and Lucio Gutierrez of Malabon, Rizal.
Cajelo informed the President of the need for some kind of reorganization of the military in the province. He said morale has gone down because of past incidents, indicating lack of trust in the military.
Mayors Laurel and Gutierrez apprised the President of the need of their towns for some urgent infrastructures.
At 5:30 p.m., the President motored to the studios of Channel 13 where he was guest at the “Vigilantes” TV program. The interview lasted for two hours.

7. Copper Smelter

Prospects on copper mining in Bokod, Benguet, Abra, Sun Mariano etc. reported by Engr. Agonias.

Tony [Antonio] Villanueva taking over as governor of Ilocos Sur.

Com. [Misael] Vera on more tax collections.

In the afternoon I missed my daily golf because I appeared at the Vigilantes TV show at 5:30 PM and met Justice [Antonio] Barredo on the unanimous decision of the Supreme Court upholding the validity of my suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus.