National Security Council (with Congs. Ramon Mitra, Jr., House Minority Floor Leader and Carmelo Barbero, senior opposition member of the House Committees of Foreign Affairs and National Defense) met on the Spratley Islands case at 11: AM at the fort Aguinaldo briefing room.
Mitra commended the Armed Forces and its Commander-in-Chief for the actions taken to occupy Thitu Island, Naushan Island and both he and Barbero agreed to the recommendations of the military to continue the occupation of the other islands.
I called the quiet occupation of the islands as a prudent, wise and non-provocative operation which at the same time provides security for the Philippines.
Actually what I had planned was to hand over to the Nationalist Chinese a fait accompli by such occupancy. With their present difficulties in the United Nations, the Chinese would not do anything to antagonize us.
I attach the papers on this question and the questions of prices going down and the sugar quota cut by the U.S. Congress.
Official Gazette for July 10, 1971: President Marcos convened the National Security Council to a three-hour meeting at Camp’ Aguinaldo to consider the situation obtaining in one of the Spratly Island Group as it affects the security of the Philippines. The meeting was preceded by a briefing conducted by intelligence officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
A communique on the meeting was read by the President at his press conference in Malacañang later in the afternoon, in which was stated, among others, that the Council is of the unanimous opinion that because of the fast pace of developments in the region and because of the proximity of the island to the Philippines its occupation by a foreign power constitutes a serious threat to the country’s national security (Full text of the Communique in OG).
Among those present at the NSC meeting were Speaker Cornelio T. Villareal, Secretaries Carlos P. Romulo of Foreign Affairs, Juan Ponce Enrile of National Defense, and Cesar E.A. Virata of Finance; Press Secretary Francisco S. Tatad, House Majority Floor Leader Marcelino Veloso and members of the Rouse committees on defense and foreign relations, including Reps. Carmelo Barbero, Nicanor Yñiguez, Constantino Navarro, Ramon Mitra, Jr., and Rafael Aquino.
Also present were Undersecretaries Jose Crisol and Efren Plana of National Defense, Jose D. Ingles and Manuel Collantes of Foreign Affairs, and Alfredo Pio de Roda of Finance; NBI Director Jolly Rugarin, Brig. Gen. Ismael Lapuz of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, members of the AFP general staff and chiefs of the major command led by Gen. Manuel T. Yan, AFP chief of staff.
The President attended to desk work the rest of the afternoon and early evening, during which he issued a proclamation designating the period from July 11 to 17, as University Presidents Week, to coincide with the holding of the World Congress of University Presidents during the said period. The special week was proclaimed in appreciation of the necessity to focus public attention on the role of university presidents in the development of a nation, in molding public opinion, in humanitarian services and civic leadership and in promoting the professions.
It is unknown where this paragraph and those preceding it come from, because the first page of this entry is missing from PCGG.
I held a press conference at 4:00 PM at my study to announce these actions of the government.
At the same time I announced that I had asked the Secretary of Foreign Affairs to request the Nationalist Chinese to withdraw their troops from Itu Aba or Ligaw (They have 20 officers and 400-500 men including ten LVT’s (Landing Vehicles-Tracked) 3.5 artillery, 20 mms AA and .50 and .30 caliber MG’s.
I based the request on the fact that in 1950 the Chinese had asked these islands to be placed under our supervision but we had refused; that these islands (The Spratley Island group are under de facto trusteeship because in Cairo, the Allied Powers ceded over from Japan to China, Manchuria, Formosa and the Pescadores. No mention was made of the Spratley Islands). All the other islands are res nullius or belong to no one. Therefore we can annex them by occupation, which we did.