8:00PM
Docked a1 Esso
pier at Limay, Bataan
We are waiting for Imelda who brought our guests, Mr. [Joe] and Mrs. [Eileen] Kingsbury-Smith as well as Father Ganswinkle and his cousin to the Dambana ng Kagitingan at Mt. Samat.
It is now dark and I hope they were able to see the memorial and enjoy the view from there.
I have Gov. [Guillermo] Arcenas with me as there were not enough cars for all. So he stayed.
I water-ski’ed at Talaga bay after a nap from 2:30 to 3:30 PM. We left at 5:00 PM for Limay. Waves were high but I managed.
This morning I opened the National Archery Tournament (Indoor) at Rizal Memorial
Official Gazette for June 20, 1971: President Marcos had one engagement which took him out of Malacañang. The rest of the day he spent mostly on paper work.
At.8:00 a.m. the President motored to the Rizal Coliseum where he shot the first arrow which formally launched the whole-day National Open Indoor Archery Tournament. In his brief remarks during the launching ceremony, the President pledged to give all the public and private encouragement for the development of archery in the Philippines. The President said that the development of athletics is something which every man, whether a public official or not, should encourage. “The policy of government is to encourage athletics from the highest level all the way down to the lowest,” added.
The President was to address another gathering, the annual general assembly of the Philippine Veterans Legion at Fort Bonifacio, Rizal, “but he had to ask Secretary of Defense Juan Ponce Enrile to read his message to the assembly because he could not make it on time. In his speech, the President renewed his appeal to Filipino veterans to be ready once again to fight in defense of freedom.
The President said that to some people “it is the height of patriotism to speak ill of their government and to assassinate the character of their leaders.” The President said that while the freedom of the press should be powerful force contributing to national development, “the press, if it abuses its own freedom, may weaken the very system under which it thrives.”
The President said that if one were to listen to some of the strident voices of the activists one would think “we had wiped out their liberties and installed a regime of fascism. But the fact that they can slander their president and employ the most vitriolic language against him ”the President said, “is the very refutation to their claim that fascism prevails in this country.” The president deplored the fact that some of them even foment disorder and commit acts of vandalism and abuse in the exercise of freedom. The President said that the exercise of freedom is regulated by law and it is the duty of government to protect the people and preserve their individual liberties.
The President said the people can remain free only as long as “we recognize the limitations of our freedom and exercise that freedom with a sense of maturity and responsibility.” The President said the Filipinos should be proud of the fact that in a region where most peoples are deprived of human freedom, “we still enjoy our heritage of democracy and freedom.” Concluding, the President told the veterans the value of freedom is immeasurable and if it is necessary “that we should fight again, we shall do so for freedom. We shall not hesitate to offer our lives, our honor, cur dreams and aspirations, so that the people will remain free.”
Basketball court. Hit the bullseye on the 3rd arrow. The first was low at No. 9 (7:00 o’clock [sic]), the second at No. 9 at 12:00 o’clock [sic].
I intend to take up archery seriously.
We left on the 777 at about 10:00 AM for Corregidor.
Right now the lights at the Dambana have been turned off. And it is now 8:30 PM and we can see the headlights of the cars coming down the road to the pier.
At 6:30 PM when they started for the Dambana we could still see the cross without the binoculars. And even when it had become dark, the Dambana could be seen clearly as the electricity was on and it stood out prominently against the dark.
My stomach was upset yesterday but is now recovered although the diarrhea weakened me.