The Manila International Airport Terminal burned down this morning. It is a complete loss. And the Manila Control Tower including the communications equipment valued at P200 million was burned. The building costs P30 million.
When I visited it at 4:00 PM, it was still smoking.
I attach the reports.
We have just finished the State of the Nation address for printing.
Sen. [Jose] Roy has resigned as NP [Nacionalista Party] acting president so he can contest the presidency of the Senate within the party.
Most of the NP senators are apparently for the status quo, [Gil] Puyat as Senate President,
Official Gazette for January 22, 1972: PRESIDENT MARCOS started the day going over urgent state papers. He asked Secretary of Foreign Affairs Carlos P. Romulo to read for him a prepared prayer at the “Presidential Prayer Breakfast.”
In that prayer, the President said:
“To see men of different faiths and persuasions gathered thus under the same house, and to know that they are brought together by hopes and concerns they share in common, is to realize the extent to which we truly are one mind in one house, regardless of the diversity and differences of our individual creeds.
“Today, we live in a world wracked by doubt and conflict; and increasingly we are confronted with the terrible realization that serenity and happiness seem to recede farther away as our science and technology bring us closer to our material wants.”
The President concluded that “prayer is an education in fortitude as well as in hope, for it is in faith that we derive much of our energy and inspiration in the successful pursuit of our highest and greatest endeavors.”
The President ended the prayer by asking those gathered to share in from the Book of Common Prayer:
“Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil, and to make no peace with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom, help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice among men and nations.”
Later in the afternoon, the President inspected the Manila International Airport which was gutted by a dawn fire of still unknown origin.
In the course of his 45-minute inspection, the President appointed retired Brig. Gen. Jesus Singson, as civil aeronautics administrator and directed him to immediately take steps to normalize operations at the Manila International Airport.
Accompanied by Executive Secretary Alejandro Melchor, the President was met and briefed by airport and aviation officials, including Acting Civil Aeronautics Administrator Epifanio Raymundo, MIA Manager Luis Tabuena and Brig. Gen. Jose Rancudo, PAF chief; and Director Jolly Bugarin of the National Bureau of Investigation.
Following the briefing, the President ordered:
1) The National Bureau of Investigation, the Metropolitan Command and the Civil Aeronautics Administration as well as the Pasay Police Department to assign their investigating arms to look into the arson angle.
2) The Department of Public Works and Communications to survey the damage as soon as the building cools off, determine the extent particularly of the damage to communications facilities, and to survey possible sources of replacements.
The President left the MIA for Malacañang at about 4:35 p.m.
Roy as Pro Tempore and [Arturo] Tolentino as Majority Floor Leader.
The speculations about the MIA fire ore to the effect that the CAA [Civil Aeronautics Administration] personnel who are guilty of having received ghost shipments of communications equipment tried to cover up the anomalies by the fire; or that former Collector Mascardo who was removed from MIA was trying to cover up illegal shipments, smuggling and other anomalies as Com. of Customs [Rolando] Geotina, before the fire had ordered an inventory of goods in custody or seized as well as an investigation of records.
Airport Manager Luis Tabuena says Friday morning he received a telephone call warning him to watch out about a possible burning of the MIA.
The man who slept at the Jumbo 747 of Northwest airlines says he heard an explosion when the fire broke out.
But intelligence reports made before the fire had warned of NPA [New People’s Army] plans to wreak havoc on or before Jan. 24. This could be part of the plans.
The quick spread of the fire indicates arson. The NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] is leading the investigation.