Thursday
[p.58] The UP faculty had a demonstration this afternoon. They walked from the Agrifina Circle to Malacañang, handed me a manifesto blaming the administration for the “pattern of repression.”
No mention at all about who started the stoning nor the danger to the First Lady and me—nothing but police brutality.
Dean [Cesar] Majul claimed they were referring to the government in general and that he who heads a house is responsible for happenings in the house. Dean [Salvador] Escudero of Business Adm. says [illegible] was a Marcos Liberal and that it is a matter of faith. Dean [Dolores] Feria (apparently an American lady) of English says there was brutality, that her 17 year old daughter was near our car and did not see any stone thrown (she must need glasses otherwise where did the wound of Agent Tuson in the forehead come from?). Dr. Francisco Nemenzo arrogantly proclaimed he was not content with the manifesto but after “seeing my reaction to it,” he was happy.[1] I had said that I was disappointed in the faculty of my alma mater; that the UP was charged as the spawning ground of communism and that the manifesto was full of ambiguous generalities that had a familiar ring to them. Then I read a report that he had said he wanted the members of the faculty to be hurt by the police and that he had given directions to the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation to prepare gasoline (apparently for Molotov cocktails, stones and other missiles to be used [p.59] in the Friday (Jan. 30th) rally), and that in the charge of communism in the UP, his name was mentioned.[2]
Tomorrow, the big student rally. But [Angel] Gargaritano [Jr.] of the youth reform movement says the NUSP [National Union of Students of the Philippines] and the NSL [National Student League] will not come to Malacañang but go to Congress instead. The Kabataan Makabayan will come to Malacañang, though.
Mayor [Antonio] Villegas has said that he will not allow the police to be near the demonstrators. I ordered him in writing to maintain peace and order in all rallies and demonstrations. He sent word that his press release did not mean he would keep the police away.
I showed to the UP professors the Collegian which carried the communist party articles and said that I did not wish to stop this but that I hoped that the two sides of the question would be ventilated. [Salvador P.] SP Lopez called the editor of the Collegian [Victor Manarang] a leftist.
Office of the President
of the Philippines
Malacañang
4:00 PM January 30, 1970[3]
Friday
[p.60] Still very quiet. The Kabataang Makabayan has been able to muster only about a hundred demonstrators before Malacañang. To cover up their inadequate number, they have gone to Congress where the NUSP under [Edgar] Jopson and the NSL have a more impressive number. [Lino] Illera has alerted [Angel] Gargaritano [Jr.]. There is a congressional hearing at 3:00 PM. At six o’clock the leaders come to Malacañang for a conference.
I continued the dialogue with the students—this time from CLSU, with the various student leaders like Jose Sayson, this morning.
1:00 AM Jan. 31st
The Ma-Maos and Dante Kabataang Makabayan are leading the rioting outside.
The riot is still going on but the [Metropolitan Command] Metrocom under Col. [Mariano] Ordoñez and Aguilar, after reinforcement by one company of the [Philippine Constabulary] PC under Gen. [Vicente] arrived, have pushed up to Mendiola near San Beda where the MPD [Manila Police District] were held in reserve. I hear shooting and I am told that the MPD have gone firing in the air.
The rioters have been able to breach Gate 4 and I had difficulty to stop the guards from shooting the rioters down. Specially so when Gate 3 was threatened also. I received a call from Maj. [?] Ramos for permission to fire and my answer was “Permission granted to fire your water hoses.”
So no shooting inside the Malacañang compound. Otherwise it would have been a massacre.
Office of the President
of the Philippines
10:00 AM January 31, 1970[4]
Saturday
Malacañang
[p.61] I write this tonight having been a little occupied last night during the demonstration or riot. I am glad I was able to hold back on the repeated requests to fire at the rioters, the first request when they took over a fire truck, burned it and rammed it against Gate 4, broke the lock and rushed into compound near the new Administration Bldg., the second when they threatened to do the same on Gate 3.
Have delivered a TV speech, called all the mayors of Metropolitan Manila and Gen. [Nicasio] Rodriguez [Jr.] to work out a coordinated plan. Mayor [Antonio] Villegas kept explaining why the MPD [Manila Police District] police did not come to help us in Malacañang (nor the fire trucks of the MFD [Manila Fire Department] either).
Conferred with the military (Sec. of Nat. Def. [Secretary of National Defense], Chief of Staff, Chiefs of the major services and their staffs).
Then with the political leaders.
Most felt there should be no repression. So I have had to delay the suspension of the privilege of Habeas Corpus. We will await developments. I understand the demonstrators will hit the PNB [Philippine National Bank] and Metropolitan Branches next. The PCC [Philippine College of Commerce] demonstration of [Nemesio] Prudente was called off. But I gather there will be a big demonstration next Tuesday and/or March 3rd.
When they do so again, they may be armed with firearms. In the meantime I can only gnash my teeth and wait.
[p.62] These are difficult days for everybody. But I pity the citizenry caught in the crossfire last night. For the rioters were sniping at the MPD, Metrocom and soldiers with .22’s.
I suppose that the people now sympathize with me, especially if these vandals continue their destructive anarchy.
But Chino [Joaquin] Roces still seemed hostile in the meeting with publishers when I requested support for my position in the matter of the rioters. And Teddy [Teodoro] Locsin [Sr.] tonight could not see in it anything but that reform must come by violent means. I had forgotten that he had always written sympathetically of Mao Tse Tung.
We should ride this out with patience and perseverance.
Teddy apparently was warning me that if there was repression by the arrest of the leaders of the communist movement, there would be retaliation and Central Luzon would be transferred to Manila with the slums becoming the jungle.
If I let these fears deter me from fighting communism then we are lost. But I must continue to restrain myself lest we lose the support of the people by a stance of tyranny.
[1] Another, lengthier version of this exchange with Nemenzo. Reportage p.219-220 but Joaquin seems to be mixing direct quotations from the diary with Marcos’ comments during his interview: “He was saying he was not happy about the manifesto. He said: ‘I did not write this alone; it was written by a committee; but now that I see your reaction to it, Mr. President, I am very happy about it.’ I told him: ‘I am glad you are happy about something anyway.’ And I asked if it was true he was encouraging the students to use violence. He said no. I told him: ‘I would like to be frank with you. There is a report that you have directed a certain organization to prepare molotov cocktails to be used on January 30.’ He said: ‘No, I have no control over that organization; I am no longer an officer there.’ Then he said: ‘But I question the statement that the U.P. is a breeding ground for communism.’ I said: ‘All I’m asking is that there should be an open debate, because there are requests to even close the U.P. and reports that it’s a spawning ground for communism and complaints that I have not done anything about it.’ He kept insisting: ‘What are these reports?’ So I said: ‘That you are one of those reported supposedly participating in discussions about communism.’ “That was all. I did not call him a communist or anything like that. I just said that there were reports that the U.P. was a spawning ground and suggestions that it be either investigated or closed. Which would be ridiculous. That was why I had no taken any steps about it. I think I even confronted the U.P. president, S.P. Lopez, and asked him: ‘Do you remember when I told you that we should not stop the Collegian from printing those articles?’ And that students should run their own papers as they pleased. Only why, I said, not give the other side a chance to print also what they wanted printed, so that both sides of the question will be printed. Nobody said anything, because I suppose they felt this was a legitimate request.”
[2] Front page story of the Chronicle reported that M arcos scolded the UP profs, and reacting to manifesto declared “You yourselves are vague and confused on the issues you have raised against the g overnment.” At another point he pointed at the faculty and dared: “If there is a communist among you here, let him step forward and I’ll debate with him. I assure him he will not be arrested.”
[3] No Official Gazette entry for this day.
[4] No Official Gazette entry for this day.