1:45 AM Jan. 31st
Official Gazette for January 30, 1973: IN THE NEW CONSTITUTION, there is now a provision in the Bill of Rights recognizing the people’s right to information on matters of public concern. Secretary of Justice Vicente Abad Santos pointed out that Section 6 of the Bill of Rights further provides that access to official records and to documents and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions, or decisions, shall be afforded to citizens, subject to such limitations as may be provided by law.
AMNESTY FORMS being distributed by the authorities are free and should not cost anybody anything. Secretary Tatad issued this announcement in view of reports that certain parties got hold of the forms and are selling them in the South. The Information Secretary, meanwhile, called upon the country’s nurses to be social workers, teachers and dependable friends, in the exercise of their profession. Secretary Tatad said nurses must not be content with merely assisting the physicians in serving the medical needs of the people, but they must also be the “bearer of the light of modernization,” wherever they may be. Calling for the involvement of the medical practitioners in the effort toward the formation of a New Society, Secretary Tatad said that their commitment to the preservation of life must go hand in hand with the enhancement of opportunity for “a higher state of existence” in the new order. “You must not only heal, but you must also give hope,” he said.
PHILIPPINE CONSTABULARY Chief Fidel V. Ramos circularized all PC field commanders on the procedures for arrests, searches and seizures as prescribed by DND Department Order No. 740 dated Jan. 26, 1973 for their information and guidance. Gen. Ramos said “citizen’s arrests” may be made by a peace officer, Armed Forces personnel or a private person pursuant to Sec. 6 of the Rules of Court. The section specifies that a person can be arrested when he “has committee, is committing or is about to commit an offense,” or when a crime has been committed and “there is reasonable ground to believe” that the person to be arrested has committed it, or when the person has escaped from a penal confinement. The procedures to follow in this case, according to the PC chief, are: 1) The arrested person shall be brought without delay to the nearest AFP unit by the person who effected the arrest; 2) The AFP unit commander shall then determine whether the offense falls under General Order No. 2 and if so, the arrested person shall be booked, detained and investigated by the inquest officer; 3) Afterwards, the case shall be referred to the provincial investigating coordinating committee, through the provincial commander, for disposition. In the Greater Manila area, the case shall be referred to any of the investigation units, in accordance with orders issued by the commander of the Command for the Administration of Detainees; and 4) If the offense does not fall under General Order No. 2, the arrested person shall be turned over to civil authorities.
STATE OF HEALTH in the country has considerably improved while the death rate has been drastically decreased. Secretary of Health Clemente Gatmaitan disclosed that the maternal and infant death rates in 1970 were 59.5 and 1.9 per cent, respectively, per 1,000 live births compared to 73.1 and 2.4 per cent, respectively, 10 years ago. Several factors were primarily responsible for this marked improvement in the health of the nation, including the expansion of the health services, efforts toward the control and prevention of communicable diseases and the improvement in the environmental conditions of the people. Sec. Gatmaitan predicted a further decrease in the mortality rate with the cooperation of the people through improved sanitation or cleanliness of parks, playgrounds and private premises, strict observance of hygiene rules, and a stepped-up implementation of health regulations.
PRESIDENT MARCOS said that “with the passing of Don Quintin Paredes, the nation has lost not only one of its truly great men, but perhaps the last of a generation that included the likes of Recto, Laurel and Quezon.” The President extolled Don Quintin as one of those very few whose life parallels the life of his nation in its many states. The full text of the President’s statement follows:
With the passing of Don Quintin Paredes, the nation has lost not only one of its truly great men, but perhaps the last of generation that included the likes of Recto, Laurel and Quezon.
He was one of those very few whose life parallels the life of his nation in its many stages. He was born to a time of beginnings for the Filipino nation, when the Filipino people were only just beginning to experience solidarity. In an era dominated by the presence of the foreigner, he demonstrated early the capacities of the Filipino for self-government and statesmanship.
Through his efforts, and those of his great contemporaries, the country took its rightful place among the nations. Thereafter, we were never without the leadership and counsel of this man. In every office that he served—the Judiciary, the House, the Senate, the Cabinet—he brought with him energy, aspiration and giftedness. Even in
Vice Pres. [Spiro] Agnew’s visit to the Southeast Asian area has been announced and we have formally protested the exclusion of the Philippines from his itinerary. Under Sec. [Marshall] Green claims he was not consulted on his itinerary.
We will be pushed to the wall and we will now renew efforts to increase trade with Red China and Russia, seek the neutralization of South East Asia and terminate the U.S. military bases as an obstacle to neutralization and a limitation of our independence.
The changes in policy will mean some sacrifices by our people.
Commodore [Rudiardo] Brown, Commander of the Marines died with [Adolfo] Feliciano [Jr.] in a crash of an L-20 a Beaver on attempting to land with a tailwind at the Esso airstrip in Limay at about 8:55 AM. The plane hit the high tension wire south of the airstrip as the pilot banked left as he overshot the airstrip a third time because of strong tailwind.
We lost two good men.
retirement, during his very late years, now and then he would give his share to the shape of events in our country.
Only three years ago, we were privileged to fete him in the palace, and this remarkable and kindly man seemed as if he could go on for another quarter-century.
But now he is gone, and he leaves behind him only the example of a life to a generation that must now do its share to meet the challenges of a new time.