2:30 AM Jan. 9th
Open House from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM.
The Supreme Court at 4:00 PM today released its unanimous decision as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal upholding my 1969 electoral victory over [Sergio] Osmeña [Jr.]—on the merits.
It also is an assertion of the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, just as it did in the decision a week ago upholding the constitutionality of the Anti-Subversion law, RA [Republic Act] 1700 declared unconstitutional by Judge Simeon Ferrer, the brother of Comelec [Commission on Elections] Chairman Jayme Ferrer. Judge Ferrer is CFI [Court of First Instance] judge in Tarlac, Tarlac.
Yesterday I informally notified Ambassador [Henry] Byroade that the infiltration of Malaysian agents, guerillas and Malaysian-trained men into Sulu and Mindanao.
The reports are disturbing and confirm such training, expenditure, arming and infiltration into Sulu and Mindanao of armed men by land from Malaysia. They are contained in Envelope No. XXXXI-A and XXXXI-A-1.
The Citizens Assembly want to vote on the new constitution and may demand a stronger government.
I repeatedly receive reports from the barrios that the citizens assemblies will disregard the questionnaires to be submitted and instead may demand that the referendum be considered a plebiscite on the new constitution, that the [sic] a stronger government be established, if necessary along the lines of the new constitution but without the ad interim National Assembly, that no elections be held for at least four years that the president be allowed to push through the reforms.
This would indeed be a welcome development.
Sens. [Daniel] Inouye, [Ernest] Hollings, [Joseph] Montoya and [Birch] Bayh were brought to Malacañan at 4:00 PM by Ambassador [Henry] Byroade and Dr. Tom Niblack of US AID [Agency for International Development]. I furnished the senators a briefing paper on reforms and the program of rehabilitation copy of which is in Envelope XXXXI-B.
The folder on Public Order is marked XXXXI-C.
No Official Gazette entry for this day.