Official Gazette for February 14, 1973: DEPARTMENT OF AGRARIAN Reform stressed that the status quo order governing the relationship between tenants and landowners, at the time Presidential Decree No. 27 was promulgated, be strictly maintained, pending approval of the implementing regulations. In a circular to its fieldsmen, the DAR urged intensification of the drive to inform tenants as well as landowners, that to ignore the order would constitute acts undermining or subverting the intent of Presidential Decrees Nos. 2 and 27, Letters of Instructions Nos. 45, 46 and 52, and the President’s instructions that “no tenant-farmer should be ejected from his farmholding without just cause.” This move was made because of reports that landowners refused to recognize the leasehold system as the governing rule between tenants and landlords. As a result, adverse consequences such as non-liquidation of harvest, harassment through filing of ejectment cases, change of crops from palay to others; physical acts of dispossession like bulldozing of farms, demolition and burning of houses, sale or mortgage of land, conversion of land into urban purposes, subdivision and fragmentation, followed.
The DAR reiterated the fact that it is the DAR which determines the rate of rentals to be paid by the farmers to landowners. In connection with this the DAR fieldsmen were authorized to enforce the provisions of the decrees and letters of instructions and to seek the assistance of the Philippine Constabulary provincial commanders, if necessary.
THE PHILIPPINES AND BELGIUM plan to expand economic, industrial and technical operation between them, with major emphasis on foreign trade and tourism. Two officials of Brussel’s department of foreign trade, E. P. Bailey and Roger de Winter, formally agreed to merge efforts with the Philippine, government and inquired into the extent of the privileges and incentives granted by the government to foreign investors and to tourist-oriented firms and enterprises. The Belgian representatives were informed by the Department of Trade and Tourism of the business incentives and reforms embodied in Presidential Decree No. 94 and of the various national changes since the imposition of Martial Law. Philippine imports from Belgium include: base metals, chemical elements and compounds, machinery, dairy products, scientific instruments, explosives, miscellaneous chemicals, and metal products. Philippine Belgian trade has steadily increased from (FOB value in US$) $86,000 in 1965 to more than $10 million in 1971.
PRESIDENT MARCOS has issued Presidential Decree No. 126 vesting the Circuit Criminal Courts with concurrent jurisdiction with the Courts of First Instance over crimes, whether simple or complex, which may be punishable by life imprisonment or death. The decree, promulgated Feb. 12, provides, however, that where the offense charged is a complex crime and only the lesser offense is punishable by a penalty less than life imprisonment is proved, the court shall not dismiss the case but shall decide the same and impose the corresponding penalty. The decree, which amends R. A. 5179, does not apply to offenses falling within the jurisdiction of military tribunals.
PRESIDENT MARCOS has promulgated Presidential Decree No. 127 authorizing local school boards of chartered cities and all first class municipalities (Class I and Class II) created under R. A. No. 5447 to invest in government bonds in amounts not less than 30 per cent of their respective shares from the one per cent additional real property tax levied and apportioned under said law. The decree signed Feb. 12, noted the urgent need to implement immediately the Educational Development Decree of 1972 to assure improved management and operation of the educational system and thereby achieve quality academic instruction and develop skills among the citizens belonging to the lower-income group, specially those coming from the rural areas. The school boards concerned have been authorized to invest, beginning March 1, 1973, in government bonds issued or which may be issued under the provisions of R. A. 4861.
LOGGING BAN CLAMPED on all logging concessions in watersheds whose waters drain into Central Luzon is still on and is not likely to be lifted in the immediate future. This statement was issued by the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources which explained that the ban will stay, pending the completion of an exhaustive study on the effects of logging on watersheds feeding water to the Angat, Pampanga and Agno; river basins. Watersheds are, bodies of forest drained by rivers or creeks. They are usually mountainsides which regulate water flow and minimize run-offs or floods. There are estimated 390,000 hectares of critical watersheds all over the country whose denuded state need immediate reforestation and afforestation.
The U.S. dollar has been devalued by 10% and the German mark and the Japanese yen floated.
Since about 86% of our foreign loans of $2.2 billion are in dollars, then this devaluation should favor us.
But our imports from Japan will be costlier, from U.S. cheaper so there will be a slow shift of imports from the U.S.
Our exports will be costlier.
Before this the price of copra and coconut oil has been moving up. So has copper and logs. EEC [European Economic Council] has ruled that plywood sold to the common market countries must contain at least 30% of Philippine wood.
Investments are coming to the Philippines.
Met the government financing institutions on the plans I have initiated:
- To liberalize credit for industry and agriculture.
- Generate funds for the banks—the Central Bank to furnish 50% of the advances made by DBP [Development Bank of the Philippines] or PNB [Philippine National Bank] for delinquencies of private borrowers for whom these banks may have issued guaranties [sic].
- Listing of all borrowers in arrears—and publication.
- Setting up of priorities for loans to be granted.
- Setting up of authorities for principal export products.
- More aid to those setting up new industries.
- Improve the management and financial capability of private borrowers in arrears.
I have moved to have Marking Agustin to lead a group of veterans to form the economic arm for retirees and veterans.
I am now busy compiling and digesting the documents and papers of the period that led to the proclamation of Martial Law—its purposes, objectives and the political, economic and social implications.