We are now hitting some swells now that are directly west of Marinduque and the ship is rolling and pitching moderately but sharply.
Arrived at Pasacao at about 10:00 AM. The military and civil officials took the PG No. 63 to board us from the pier of Pasacao. Our trip last night was smooth although the low pressure center, Konsing, is about 260 miles east of Samar.
Imelda could not go to the town as it was raining. It has been overcast and raining since then.
Task Force Commander, TF Bulosan, Col. [Cipriano] Ramiro conducted the confidential briefing with the military first and the public one later.
There has been an increase in both armed strength to 100 of the NPA [New People’s Army] and the mass base to 9,000 although Col. Ramiro would admit only to the latter.
Official Gazette for June 24, 1972: THE PRESIDENT conferred with civilian and military officials of the Bicol region aboard the RPS Ang Pangulo, which anchored off Pasacao, Camarines Norte at 10 a.m. after an overnight voyage from Cebu.
At the conference were provincial, municipal and barrio officials of Sorsogon, Albay, Camarines Sur, and Camarines Norte; Major Gen. Rafael Ileto, acting AFP chief of staff; Brig. Gen. Guillermo A. Pecache, deputy chief of staff for home defense; Brig. Gen. Fidel Ventura, chief of the AFP engineer corps; and the chiefs of the major services and provincial commanders of the region.
In the course of the conference, the President directed the strengthening of Task Force “Bulusan” which has launched an intensified military operation against dissidents in the area. He likewise ordered the reinforcement of the civic action arm of the task force and the stepping-up of civic action work in the region.
“It has always been the policy of this administration that military operations against subversion should go hand in hand with civic action,” the President said. “There can be no security without development and no development without security.”
The President impressed upon the conferees, who were brought by motor launches to the RPS Ang Pangulo anchored some 700 meters from Pasacao in Ragay Gulf, of the gravity of the nation’s security problems, the solution of which, he said, requires the participation of everyone, irrespective of party persuasions.
Col. Cipriano Ramiro, Jr., commander of TF “Bulusan,” who conducted the briefing, reported that dissidents in the Bicol peninsula were estimated at about 100 armed regulars, 300 combat support units and another 300 support service units.
The affected areas where they had mounted intensified operations, Col. Ramiro said, were Tigaon, Ocampo, Sañgay, Buhi and Goa in Camarines Sur; Polangue, Libon, Tiwi and Tabaco in Albay; and Irosin in Sorsogon. Also affected, he said, were the cities of Naga and Iriga.
After the briefings, the President heard some of the pressing problems presented to him by local officials, among whom were Reps. Fernando Pajarillo of Camarines Norte, Felix Fuentebella of Camarines Sur, Amando Cope and Roberto Sabido of Albay, Jose Alberto of Catanduanes and Rafael Aquino of Sorsogon; and Gov. Felix Alfelor of Camarines Sur.
Following the conference, the RPS Ang Pangulo discharged its guests and hurriedly left the area at 1 p.m. to head off typhoon “Konsing” which was then reported approaching from the western coast of Samar.
Gov. [Felix] Alfelor is non-cooperative. Although he will follow my directives, he will not go out of his way to help the military. Apparently because the NPA Commander, Benjamin Jallores, alias Commander Benjie is a relative of his wife. I suggested to him to arrange the surrender of Jallores. I doubt it if he will although he agreed.
He ______ to the [maintenance?[ of BDSU’s [Barrio Self-Defense Units].
The trip has been very heartwarming. What is probably happening is that the media that has been hitting and demeaning us repeatedly is over-rated, our people are more discriminating and sophisticated and intelligent and/or we are so much the underdog that the people are sympathetic to us.
All over the Visayas, Mindanao and Bicol, we have been welcomed tumultuously and happily. The question of Imelda running has come up.
It was raised dramatically by the Cebu municipal mayors who upon the motion of Mayor de Dios of Carmen and seconded by ______ of Naga, resolved that since no one can lead the country in this [these] troubled times but Pres. Marcos. Imelda is directed to run for President in 1973!!
So although there is a deterioration of the peace and order situation and an increase in area covered and numbers of the New People’s Army and CPP [Communist Party of the Philippines], I am glad that we took the trip.
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