I write this Tuesday morning
at 6:20 AM
We have discovered the name of the logger in whose concession the landing of 10,000 firearms will take place. [Jose] Joe Maristela says he, Gen. [George] Sanchez and Faustino David will go to inspect the place soon.
I have talked to Eddie Figueras about the use of one of his boats for the projects of counter subversion.
Official Gazette for July 27, 1970: President Marcos took time out from his voluminous paper work to meet at length with workers’ unions of the Philippine Air Lines and the Manila South Harbor, at a time when the workers of the said unions were on the verge of calling a strike because of unresolved disputes with management.
Accompanied by Secretary of Labor Blas F. Ople and Labor Relations Director Amado Inciong, the representatives of the embattled workers sat clown with the President to thresh out the alternatives to a strike. Happily, the President succeeded in putting off the projected strikes, after appealing to the workers’ civic-spiritedness, and promising to intercede in their behalf with their respective management.
Involved in the disputes were the employees and pilots, associations of PAL, and the members of the Association of Pier Checkers and Workers.
Among those at the conference were Capt. Felix Gaston, president of the PAL Pilots Association; Fortunate Biangco, president of the PAL Employees Association and other PALEA officials including Roberto Espinelli, Edgar Lubiano, Socorro Remulla, Eddie Miranda, Dominador Obillo, Genaro Gonzalez, Leoncio Saranilla, Amando Regala, Hernando Guevara, Agustin Sarto, Nicanor Gustilo, Felix Garlitos, Leonardo R. arang, Andres Datinguinoo, Domingo Solomon and Arternio Lopez; and Ricardo Manalad and Ramon Oliveros, president and secretary, respectively, of the Association of Fort Checkers and Workers at South Harbor.
With his paper work getting priority, the President pared down his schedule of callers to only a few, notably Gen. Jesus Vargas (ret.), secretary general of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, who paid a farewell call prior to his departure for his post in Bangkok tomorrow. The SEATO official was here for the Council of Ministers meeting of the organization.
The only other caller was Alden Whitman, New York Times correspondent, who spent two weeks travelling in the country with Gen. Charles Lindbergh (ret.), visiting settlements and communities of the nation’s cultural minorities. The Times man interviewed the President.
The rest of the President’s working day was devoted to his desk work, from which, among others, issued two proclamations:
1. Declaring Wednesday, August 19 this year, as a special public holiday in Quezon Province and in the cities of Lucena and Quezon, on the occasion of the 92nd birth anniversary of the late President Manuel L. Quezon. The 19th of August of every year is as Citizenship Day, under proclamation No. 331 dated August 4, 1952. 2. Declaring the period from August 2 to 8 this year, and every year thereafter, as Land Reform Week. It was on August 8, 19S3 that the present Agricultural Land Reform Code became law, which the President described as a “great stride in breaking the inequitable system of landholding in the Philippines.” He also issued an order adding three new members to the executive committee taking charge of the Colombo Plan meeting here, as well as forwarded to the Commission on Appointments for confirmation four new nominations to judicial positions.
There is not much reaction from the reduction of 24,000 U.S. servicemen by 6,000. Although there may be a corresponding decrease in the employment of Philippine labor.
I have asked PHIL-ASIA to buy all the Virginia tobacco (properly graded of course) whether they are thin, medium or thick. Moon Park asked up to September. We are usually finished with the buying by May or June but the grading has delayed the trading although this is the only way to convert tobacco into an acceptable export product. The German consortium has already ordered some of the tobacco. And the Japanese monopoly has sent representatives.
But we should organize Thailand, Taiwan and Korea as well as the Philippines to a consortium of suppliers. Mainland China which was the biggest supplier before the war is beginning to dump its tobacco in the European market.
I ordered the stoppage of buying in the Agoo trading center when some armed men forced the graders to accept and misgrade some tobacco. Cong. [Floro] Crisologo quarreled with Moon Park about the attempt to force the acceptance of bad tobacco in the trading centers. But I have ordered the arrest of anyone who coerces or intimidates any of the graders.
I foresee tobacco as a major export crop in a year or two if we can succeed to grade it properly this year and we will, politicians and goons notwithstanding.
And the nice part is the government is not spending any government funds in the trading.
Then we sell all our surplus tobacco of which there must be about 120 million kilos and liquidate our (ACA [Agricultural Credit Administration] and PVTA [Philippine Virginia Tobacco Administration]) indebtedness to the Central Bank.
But a private corporation other than PHIL-ASIA composed of mostly Filipinos should be organized to take over the trading.
I have rejected, after Saturday’s meeting with the major service commanders, zone and area commanders and advisers and their unanimous support, the proposal to assign the army instead of the PC [Philippine Constabulary] to fight the Huks in Central Luzon.
And I was able to dissuade the PAL [Philippine Air Lines] and waterfront unions from striking.
Am now working on the monetary policies on the domestic banks, increase of domestic passenger rates of airlines (by about 30%-40%), oil exploration (there are now three good prospects—Seafront which has a ship for a seismic survey, Overseas (Primo) which has a drilling rig and Oriental).