Official Gazette for February 8, 1971: PRESIDENT MARCOS put in a whole morning’s work on state papers, including studies on reports of various government agencies.
He received callers in the afternoon and also inducted Jose Drilon, Jr., executive officer of the International Rice Research Institute, as Undersecretary of Agriculture.
Drilon took the place of Arturo R. Tanco, Jr. who has been appointed secretary of agriculture and natural resources.
Among those who witnessed the induction ceremony held at the President’s study were Secretary of Justice Vicente Abad Santos, Secretary Tanco, Bureau of Plant Industry Director Eliseo Carandang and Executive Director Roberto Fronda of the National Food and Agriculture Council.
At 4 p.m., about an hour after the induction ceremony, the Chief Executive honored at a reception, the 74 surviving delegates of the 1935 Constitutional Convention in connection with the observance of Constitution Day.
In addressing the guests composed of high government officials and delegates to the 1971 Constitutional Convention who also attended the reception, the President underscored the importance of the forthcoming Constitutional Convention which will “recast, our political, social and economic system to a pattern that will release the deepest potentials of the Filipino people.”
He added: “This convention will be, in principle, omnipotent in the sense that no one and no force may hinder the convention in its task of redefining the postulates of our society. But such enormous power, I am sure, will be matched by an equally immense feeling or responsibility.”
The President pointed out that the convention will legislate not only for today and tomorrow, but for the ages.”
The surviving delegates of the Constitutional Convention of 1935 were:
Manuel Abella, Gaudencio E. Abordo, Felipe Abrigo, Manuel T. Albero, Jose M. Aldeguer, Salvador Araneta, Francisco Arellano, Jose M. Aruego, Eugenio Baltao, Saturnino Benito, Miguel B. Binag, Juan L. Bocar, Jose Bonto, Teofilo B. Buslon, Mateo Cahonoy, Florentine 0. Chioco, Atilano E. Cinco, Gaudencio Cloribel;
Miguel Cuaderno, Jose Gutierrez David, Jose M. Delgado, Max Du-guiang, Demetrio B. Encarnacion, Mariano Ezpeleta, Sofronio M. Flores, Vicente J. Francisco, Alejandro A. Galang, Ezekiel S. Grageda, Delfin Gumban, Antonio Guzman, Pedro C. Hernaez, Alejo Labrado, Baldomero M. Lapak, Jose C. Locsin, Eusebio M. Lopez, Tiburcio Lutero, Manuel Lim, Jose M. Lorenzana;
Juanito T. Maramara, Mariano C. Melendres, Pedro D. Melendrez, Antonio J. Montesa, Anastacio A. Mumar, Francisco Muñoz, Dionisio Nierre, Camilo Osias, Jesus Y. Perez, Gabriel P. Prieto, Demetrio Quirino, Jose S. Reyes, Timoteo O. Ricohermoso, Jose E, Romero, Victorino N. Salazar, Vicente Salumbides, Conrado V. Sanchez, Jose G. Sanvictores, Enrique C. Sobrepeña, Numeriano Tanopo;
Arolas Tulawie, Jose C. “Velasco, Juan Ventenilla, Francisco Ventura, Cornelio T. Villareal, Domingo T. Zavalla, Jesus B. Surban, Severo Cea, Juan D. Nepomuceno, Pascual M. Beltran and Enrique Maglanoc.
Also in connection with the observance of Constitution Day, the President earlier issued the following statement:
The commemoration of Constitution Day today takes an added meaning in the light of the Constitutional Convention which will soon convene to consider the restructuring of the basic charier of our nation, so as to make it a more effective framework for nation building and more relevant to our times.
I join all Filipinos in prayerful hope that the coming Constitutional Convention would succeed in laying the premises for the needed transformation of our society, particularly in ridding our society of certain age old inequities which have burdened the mass of our people. In order that our nation may fully flower in freedom and progress, we must make social and economic justice not only an abiding principle of government, but part of our way of life, as guaranteed by the Constitution.
And this is a responsibility that belongs not only to the convention delegates, but all citizens.
We celebrate Constitution Day because we believe in our hearts that it is basically a sound instrument of democracy although there are a few among us who would renounce it by degrading the majesty of the law, and substituting force for the rule of law, but ultimately men of peace and goodwill and with a faith in freedom and in an orderly society will prevail.
I pray that our new Constitution will uphold this ideal and perpetuate a life of freedom and justice for all our people.
Mayor [Norberto Amoranto] has asked the barricades in the UP [University of the Philippines] to be removed or he will order the police to enter the campus to do so.
Mayor [Antonio] Villegas has asked for 200 PC [Philippine Constabulary] men to support the Manila police tomorrow when the demonstrators threaten to block Jones bridge.
In Los Baños, the students have practically isolated the IRRI [International Rice Research Institute] and the college.
The students are planning to take over the Sto. Tomas University and the PCC [Philippine Chistian College].
And Jose Maria Sison is reported to have visited the UP twice.
So now the QCPD [Quezon City Police District] and the legal task force of the DND [Department of National Defense] is preparing charges against the UP and other rebels of rebellion.
I have told the SND [Secretary of National Defense] and the generals that I would not send the Metrocom [Metropolitan Command] to the UP using total force if the crimes allegedly committed by the rebels is only robbery or coercion. We would be laughed off the map.
They agreed with me that we had to obtain search warrants and warrants of arrest for rebellion and insurrection so that we could deploy massive force in the campus.
We must be able to arrest the leaders of the rebellion, control the campus after a fast and clean surprise commando raid and avoid inflicting casualties on women and innocent civilians.
Gen. [Mariano] Ordoñez of the Metrocom will command the raid and will employ about 800 men.
Confirmed intelligence is to the effect that there are strangers now guarding the barricades and sporting guns (carbines). The barricades are booby trapped. The rebels plan to use innocent civilians as hostages. So we must swiftly separate and protect the civilians before any shooting starts.
And the library must initially be secured.
I have ordered Gen. [Zosimo] Paredes to clear Los Baños of barricades.
I enclose a copy of the Feb. 8, 1971 Executive News which has an interesting piece on “Radicals Courting Martial Law?”