I write this at 10:45 PM
at the State Dining Room
while watching Mediterranean
Holiday. Bongbong on Flight No. 761 of Quantas
Left Hongkong at 8:53 PM and will arrive
At New Delhi at 3:20 AM and all is well.
OG January 8, 1971: PRESIDENT MARCOS heard for the second time in as many days the views of both the striking and non-striking groups of jeepney drivers on the price ceiling of gasoline, during which the two groups also made known their respective stands on the question of a strike.
The striking group, led by Lupiño Lazaro of the Pangkalahatang Samahan ng Maynila at Suburbs Drivers Associations (Pasang-Masda) said they would continue with the strike pending a favorable outcome of the President’s scheduled meeting with executives of oil firms, while the non-striking group, a splinter group of the Pasang-Masda headed by Oscar Lazaro, said they would continue plying their routes.
In the course of his talks with the two groups, whom he met separately, the President:
1. Directed Secretary of Commerce and Industry Ernesto Maceda, who is also acting chairman of the Price Control Council, to finish the hearings on the increase in fuel cost, stressing that the PCC should come to a decision in the shortest possible time. Hearings should be conducted continuously, he said.
2. Asked J. J. Wolahan, president of the Petroleum Institute of the Philippines, to confer with other oil executives and to consider rolling back the prices of gasoline in the meantime that the PCC’s decision on its price ceiling is being awaited.
In his talk with Wolahan over the telephone, the President deplored the raising of gasoline prices by the oil companies before notifying him of their decision, which was contrary to a previous understanding.
3. Directed Chairman Jose Evangelista of the Public Service Commission to advise bus and jeepney operators to allow their drivers to ply their routes.
4. Ordered the Philippine Constabulary and the Metrocom to put more men in the field to provide security to non-striking drivers of vehicles plying their routes because of reports of harassments allegedly perpetrated by people identified with the striking group.
During his meeting with the drivers’ groups, the President also discussed the possibility of the government putting up its own oil refinery or acquiring the majority stocks of oil refineries.
Complimentary to this is the establishment of fuel and spare parts cooperatives by the drivers’ unions to be financed out of the ₱5 million trust fund set aside by the gasoline companies for such projects.
The President asked the drivers to agree on who should represent them in the board of trustees of the trust fund, when informed that the board members representing the drivers was not their choice for the board.
Earlier in the day, the President directed Chairman Gregorio Abad of the Reparations Commission to undertake a special mission to Japan for the Philippine government, in connection with the procurement of reparations.
At the same time the President designated Repacom Commissioner Anacleto Mangaser acting chairman of the Commission.
He also received Ambassador Ake Rodolf Wither of Finland who paid a farewell call prior to leaving for his country for reassignment.
Wither has been serving as a non-resident envoy of Finland to the Philippines, being the Finnish resident ambassador in Tokyo.
A slight fever prevented the President from receiving other callers. They, instead, paid social calls on the First Lady, Mrs. Imelda R. Marcos.
The callers included Dr. Georges Fischer, a scholar lecturer on Rizal; Rep. Romulo Lumauig and Gov. Gualberto Lumauig of Ifugao; Ex-Gov. Dominador Camerino and Myrna Santiago of Cavite; Mayor Emma Gadi of Kidapawan and Mayor Bai Tonina of Pagalungan, both in Cotabato.
In the afternoon, the President received Capt. O. Forsberg, president of the International Federation of Airline Pilots Association, who paid a social call.
The President met with the leaders of jeepney drivers late in the evening
I have just talked to the same two groups of drivers who both claim to have the majority of drivers. But a great majority of the jeepneys and buses stayed out of the streets.
Still the same positions of the two groups. This time the delegation of Atty. Lupino Lazaro included not only the head of Mapalsat, another union, but also Atty. Angeles of the Consumers Union and Joey Lim, a student leader who criticized the inaction for a long time of the National Price Control Council.
They all demanded that the oil refineries be asked to suspend or cancel the increase of gasoline prices until the National Price Control Council has made a decision on the Villegas rates.
I called up Mr. Wallahan [J. J. Wolohan] of Caltex and asked him why the prices were increased when we had agreed in Baguio on the 31st that there would be no such increase until we met again in Manila—and we had never met. The reason for my request had been the fact that the National Price Control Council had to approve the Villegas rates before they could be enforced nationally.
The oil refineries would not be able to bring down the prices even if they wanted to.
In the morning I met the Vice President, Sec. [Juan Ponce] Enrile, Sec. Abad Santos, USec. [Jose] Ingles and Dir. [Fernando Bunsuego [Jr.] to give approval to their recommendation to approve the Pioneer Oil concession for the Nationalist China Oil their partner to drill and if oil is discovered to exploit the concession getting a 30% share of the oil provided that the safeguards that a foreign government like Nationalist China does not transfer its rights without the approval of our government; that it must register with SEC as a domestic corporation so it can be held liable in our courts; the entry of its technicians to be subject to the usual safeguards.
I am also working on the political philosophy that should be able to rally all the classes of our people in the event of a take-over.
And classifying the records that have to be duplicated and stored in a place other than Malacañang.