Official Gazette for December 8, 1971: PRESIDENT MARCOS, following a three hour meeting with the Foreign Policy Council that started at mid-morning, announced that the Philippines would adhere to a policy of “strict neutrality” in the India-Pakistan conflict.
The Council discussions centered on the conflict resulting in the Philippine position which, the President said, was “in accordance with our traditional position that we would like to stay clear of any hostilities and with the Constitutional mandate in which we renounce war as an instrument of national policy.”
The conference also took up, among others, the proclamation of a state of emergency in South Korea and Secretary of Foreign Affairs Carlos P. Romulo’s report on the recent conference of ASEAN foreign ministers in Kuala Lumpur. Secretary Romulo reported on the national emergency in Korea and on the latest development in the Thailand change of government.
Present at the Council meeting, held at the Malacañang State Dining Room, were Senate President Gil J. Puyat, Speaker Cornelio T. Villareal, former President of the Republic and Constitutional Convention President Diosdado Macapagal, Senators Lorenzo M. Tañada, Gerardo M. Roxas and Emmanuel Pelaez;
Speaker Protempore Jose Aldeguer, House Majority Floor Leader Marcelino Veloso, Rep. Nicanor Yñiguez; Secretaries Cesar E. A. Virata of Finance, Efren I. Plana of National Defense, Executive Secretary Alejandro Melchor, Jr.; Press Secretary Francisco S. Tatad; Chairman Vicente Paterno of the Board of Investments;
Undersecretaries Jose D. Ingles and Manuel Collantes of Foreign Affairs, and Estelito Mendoza of Justice; Ambassador Vicente Singian and Minister Armando Manalo of the Department of Foreign Affairs; former Secretaries of Foreign Affairs Raul S. Manglapus, Felino Neri, Narciso Ramos and Salvador P. Lopez; Sebastian Ugarte of the Philippines Herald, Hans Menzi of theManila Daily Bulletin, Joaquin P. Roces and Eddie Monteclaro of the Manila Times, Neal H. Cruz ofPACE Magazine, Manuel Benitez of the Daily Star, Luis Mauricio of the Graphic, Benjamin Campomanes of Manila Rotary Club and Miguel Arambulo of the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines.
Before presiding over the Council meeting, the President presented certificates of appreciation to four American heart specialists as an official recognition of their contribution to furthering knowledge of cardiovascular diseases. Awarded certificates of appreciation in the presence of their wives were:
1. Dr Forrest Adams, president of the American College of Cardiology (AGC) and professor of pediatric cardiology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA);
2. Dr. Eliot Corday, ACC past president and clinical professor of medicine, UCLA;
3. Dr. William Likoff, ACC past president and clinical professor of medicine, Hahnesmann University, Philadelphia; and
4. Dr. C. Walton Lillehei, ACC past president and professor in surgery, Cornell University, New Work.
In presenting the awards, the President conveyed the appreciation and gratitude of the Filipino people for the assistance given them by the members of the American College of Cardiology, who concluded their 25th course which benefited some 1,200 Filipino doctors.
Dr. Mariano Alimurung of the University of Santo Tomas, Filipino governor of the American College of Cardiology, also received a certificate of appreciation for outstanding service as physician and surgeon, and for his positive leadership in the field of medicine.
Among those present at the presentation ceremony were Drs. Maria Grajo, Helen Abundo and Fr. Gabriel Pastrana, regent of the UST College of Medicine.
After the ceremony, the President conferred with some 25 delegates from Mindanao and Sulu to the Constitutional Convention in an effort to speed up the restoration of peace and order in that area.
After hearing the report and recommendations of the MINSUPALA delegates, through Delegate Roseller T. Lim, the President said that the basic problem still was the establishment of some kind of sanity in the area disturbed by outlaw bands.
He turned over the report and recommendations to the Presidential Economic Council and requested the delegates to consult with that office on the long range plan of developing Mindanao.
9:00 AM—American cardiologists brought by Dra. [Juanita] Dits Zagala and [Mariano] Alimurung. I gave them certificates of appreciation.
9:30—Mindanao and Sulu. Constitutional Convention delegates on Mindanao peace and order problems.
I place in Envelope No. XII-b their memorandum.
10:15 AM—Foreign Policy Council meeting on the Kuala Lumpur Foreign Minister Conference, The Indian-Pakistani conflict, the Declaration of Emergency in Korea—and passed over the Thailand martial law developments and the Ceylon resolution on declaring the Indian ocean as a Zone of Peace.
Since the Security Council in the UN could not pass any resolution inasmuch as the different powers like USSR [Union of Soviet Socialist Republics] and Red China kept vetoing the resolutions for cease fire and withdrawal as well as political solution of the problem, it agreed to delegate the problem to the General Assembly where there is no veto power under the unifying for peace of 1950.
12:15 AM.— [Joaquin] Chino Roces and [Alejandro] Alex Melchor [Jr.] on the Plaza Miranda bombing and the appt. of Greg Perez as project officer.
12:30 AM—TV interview.
12:45 AM—Jose Maria and Andres Soriano I asked them to find out from business and the clergy what would be their reaction if we took a firm stand against crime—if necessary “all the way”—inferring possible martial law.
They were suggesting it while I showed caution and timidity.
Andy felt that even the newspapers should be controlled. But crime and criminals must be treated with an iron hand.
I told them that I would not move (and that this was the general feeling even in the Armed Forces) unless we had the backing of the people—specially the clergy and the business
During the conference, the President also reiterated his proposal to establish security hamlets or villages where Muslim and Christian settlers could take refuge in case of attack and avail of the protection of the military and civil defense units.
Present at the conference were Delegates Sergio Tocao, Antonio Velasco, Mike Matsura, Sandiale Sambolawan, Midpantao Adil and Anacleto Badoy, and Datu Duma Sinsuat of Cotabato; Maria Clara Lobregat, Roseller T. Lim, Antonio Geniza and Ramon Blancia of Zamboanga del Sur; Mariano Badelles and Francisco Abalos of Lanao del Norte; Eri-berto B. Misa, Fanny C. Garcia of Surigao; Antonio Olmedo of Davao Oriental; Jesus Matas of Davao del Sur; Lamberto Mordeno of Agusan del Sur; Edelmiro Amante of Agusan del Norte; Fidel Purisima of South Cotabato; Augusto Saguin and Adolfo Azcuna of Zamboanga del Norte; Tating Sangkula of Sulu; Alfredo Lagawon of Bukidnon; Pedro Romualdo of Camiguin ; and Julio Ozamis of Misamis Occidental.
sectors.