Official Gazette for June 19, 1973: THE PRESIDENT urged the country’s war veterans to form themselves into working units to undertake development projects, specially on rural level. The Chief Executive, in a speech read for him by Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Espino during the national convention of the Veteran’s Federation of the Philippines in Fort Bonifacio, stressed that the Filipinos are now waging what he termed as “the battle of development.” He suggested that the VFP and its members must form themselves into working units to assist in cooperative development, community and agricultural development, the promotion of small business ventures and other social and economic activities. He informed the veterans that he has authorized the Philippine Veterans Bank to funnel P5 million from the earnings of the $31 million veterans trust fund to initially fund the veterans investment and development corporation, a novel project to provide socio-economic assistance to veterans, especially the indigent ones.
THE PRESIDENT issued two decrees aimed at strengthening the country’s shipping industry. Presidential Decree Nos. 214 and 215 are intended to make the local shipping industry more competitive in the worldwide maritime trade and to serve the increasing needs of Philippine overseas commerce. The Presidential decrees also grant to Filipino corporations who intend to engage in overseas shipping the privilege to constitute a mortgage (or any other lien or incumbrance) on such vessels with any bank and any foreign or domestic financial institutions. Presidential Decree No. 215 enforces an earlier announcement that the Government is withdrawing a 17 per cent levy on imported vessels. Presidential Decree No. 214, on the other hand, eliminates provisions in the “Philippine Overseas Shipping Act of 1955” which had deterred the procurement of additional vessels for the country.
GOVERNMENT Service Insurance System (GSIS) has started to distribute mid-year dividend cheeks amounting to P25 million to its policy holders. This is the first dividend declaration of the GSIS this year. The second would be this coming December to bring Christmas cheers to GSIS members. GSIS General Manager Roman Cruz Jr. said that to forestall fraudulent encashment of these dividend checks through tampering, the GSIS limits the value of each dividend check to a maximum of P300. Any dividend over this amount will be contained in a separate cheek so that members with dividends of Over P300 will receive two or more checks to cover the entire amount of their dividends.
CUSTOMS COMMISSIONER Rolando Geotina and Commodore Romulo Espaldon, chief of military supervisorygroup in the customs zone appealed to the public doing business with the Bureau of Customs to help preserve the gains in the reform drive achieved in this major revenue-collecting arm of the Government. The appeal was made during a dialogue with customs brokers, stevedores, brokers, arrastre workers, labor leaders and officials of E. Razon, Inc. The public, doing business with the customs bureau should be the last persons who should attempt to block reforms in the zone because all these changes directly benefit these people, Commodore Espaldon said. On the other hand, Commissioner Geotina said that his office is ready to receive any complaint against any customs-man and take drastic action against anyone who has not “mend his ways. He warned that any person caught taunting with customs regulations will be barred from transacting business and entering customs premises.
BOARD of Transportation has given all operators of public vehicles until August 31, 1973 to register all of their units authorized under their certificate of public convenience. The BT, however, said that those who can avail themselves of the grace period are the operators whose failure to register does not exceed one year from August 31 1972. The BT’s memorandum further stated that failure of the operators to register all their units within the grace period and failure of all other operators to register their units longer than one year from August 31, 1972 shall be a cause for the cancelation of the certificate.
BUREAU of Plant Industry Director Eliseo C. Carandang said the loses due to sprouts and mold growth on potatoes and onions can be minimized by exposing the crop to a maximum of 15,000 rands of gamma rays from Cobalt 60. Director Carandang said that this finding was made by Mrs. Jovita Z. de Jesus, a BPI plant pathologist. She reported that irradiation extends a month or two the shelf life or storage life of potato and onion because of the prevention of growth of molds and sprouts. The Food and Drug Administration has temporarily approved the irradiation of dose treatment on potatoes as it found “no evidence of harmfulness.”
The Australian Minister of Immigration and Taiwanese investors came to pay a call on me.
Golden Jubilee Committee meeting.
Sevres vase for Imelda. Only the Pope and Empress Farah Diba [Pahlavi] have received the same from the Boy Scouts.
I received the Makiling Award, literally the biggest medal I have received.
We will make the Makiling National Scout Reservation the best campsite in Asia. Training for young leaders.
Cold contract for the manufacture of small arms.
I looked into procurement of crude oil for Filoil. Iran and Saudi Arabia are our best bet.