Felixberto Olalia alleges in a Chronicle story that he was sent on an unofficial mission to Red China, by Executive Secretary Alex [Alejandro] Melchor [Jr.], to find out under what conditions Red China would accept diplomatic relations with us. Of course the alleged conditions are as onerous as severing ties with the U.S, etc.
I did not know about this alleged mission of Olalia.
I attach the explanation of Alex Melchor.
I am sure that Ambassadors [Henry] Byroade and Pichi Sun would be interested in the details of this.
Today seems to be quieter than yesterday. But S.P [Salvador] Lopez, according to the papers, admitted yesterday that the activists were in control of the U.P. [University of the Philippines]—before the House Committee on Education.
Official Gazette for February 5, 1971: PRESIDENT MARCOS challenged all those in the government to make public service the vanguard of the democratic revolution by reorienting it to genuinely benefit the people.
The President issued the challenge when he addressed a seminar of top officials of the Bureau of Internal Revenue shortly before noon.
In his address, the Chief Executive called upon government workers to help provide the moral ground for a democratic revolution based on justice and equity, and designed to return the government to the people.
He pointed out that “government bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction” and that any government, whether authoritarian or democratic, depends upon the compliance of the people to its basic policies.
“Otherwise,” he added, “‘that government, no matter how strong, will ultimately fail.”
The delegation of top BIR officials, headed by Commissioner Misael P. Vera, Deputy Commissioners Conrado P. Diaz and Ambrosio M. Lina, was received by the President at the Maharlika Hall in Malacañang.
Earlier, the President enjoined the Philippine Labor Alliance to open a dialogue with the jeepney drivers supposed to be on strike and to ask them to help conditions return to normalcy.
The President was informed by Roberto S. Oca, chairman of the PLA, that the first to suffer as a result of the prolonged strike fanned by student demonstrators are the workers who lead a hand-to-mouth existence.
Those who called on the President, besides Oca, were Antonio Ancheta of the Confederation of Unions in Government Corporation (CUGCO), Fortunate Biangco of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA), Temistocles Dejon of the Philippine Trade Union Congress (PTUC), Julito Serrano of the Philippine Transport and General Workers Organization (PTGWO), Pedro Fernandez of the Union de Obreros y Estivadores Filipinas (UOEF), Frank M. Nora of the Communications Workers Federation;
Oliver Gesmundo of the CCLU, Johnny S. Oca of the PEPCW. Geronimo Quadra of the Pinagbuklod ng Manggagawang Pilipino (PMP), Vicente Rafael of the Philippine Labor Unity Movement (PLUM), Magfidio H. Cruz of the NADROSS, Antonio Policarpio of the National Labor Union (NLU), and Clemencio Leaño of the NUFM.
Later in the afternoon, the President issued a proclamation approving the First Export Priorities Plan under the Export Incentives Act.
The plan was prepared by the Board of Investments pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act No. 6135, otherwise known as the Export Incentives Act, and was recommended by the National Economic Council.
And observers, including [Manila] Bulletin, say that a second government is in control in Manila. It is the government of the streets as they do not allow any vehicles to enter certain areas of the city.
After playing golf with Maj. Gen. [Romeo] Espino, the Vice Chief of Staff, at 9:00 AM I met with the Sec. of National Defense, Gen. [Manuel] Yan, Gen. [Mariano] Ordoñez and Gen. [Fidel] Ramos on the situation.
They agreed with me that ultimately the Metrocom [Metropolitan Command] and other AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] forces will be asked to take over in the UP and other universities; that there will be a lull of several days or a week but that the radicals will not be content with a moral victory but will go for some more objectives.
So Gen. Ordoñez will now prepare a plan for the fast clean takeover of the university and the arrest of the subversives if and when the Quezon City local authorities and the University administration formally requests help to root out the radicals from the campus.
The same thing holds true of the other universities or areas that may be equally affected.
We also expect the subversives to implement their plan for massive sabotage not only in the city but in the other parts of the country.
The moment there should be massive sabotage, then must I make the decision whether to declare martial law or not. And the decision will be irreversible.
3,000 baby trawler fishermen (actually using small bancas) held their demonstration in Navotas and kept away the radical elements by policing their own ranks. They asked to be permitted to continue trawling in Manila Bay which is objected to by the small fishermen (also sustenance fishermen) who claim trawl fishing destroys marine life.
Sec. Bung [Arturo] Tanco [Jr.] went to meet them.
We have agreed that the baby trawlers should continue fishing only on the Bulacan-Rizal side until they can be given stronger motors of 20 to 40 horsepower by better financing when they will be limited to the middle of the bay more than seven fathoms (42 ft. at 6 ft. a fathom) deep in accordance with RA [Republic Act] 3840.
I met with Father [Horacio] de la Costa, [Carmen] Chitang Guerrero Nakpil, [Emilio Aguilar] Abe Cruz, [Sixto] Ting Roxas, [Vicente] Ting Paterno, Sec. Cesar Virata, [Leonides] Leo Virata and Bung Tanco on the implementation of the programs of the “Democratic Revolution.”
We were all agreed that the employment program on the cottage-industry level but with control financing, management, quality control and exports should be supervised and actually run by Ting Paterno—with a joint-venture of the private sector and the government.
Housing should be supervised by Ting Roxas.
I have been helping Imelda put lyrics to her composition—“Philippine Welcome—Mabuhay.”