I have ordered that all Central Bank currency be turned in and exchanged with new currency bearing the stamp “Ang Bagong Lipunan.” All currency not turned in by December 31, 1973 will be demonetized. This will smoke out hoarded currency.
Then all persons having property in excess of P100,000 present fair commercial value is directed to submit a sworn statement or inventory of all his property. This will also smoke out hoarded or hidden wealth.
We are preparing for the arrival tomorrow of about 50 executives on the Transport and the Communications mission.
Sec. [Troadio] Quiazon [Jr.] reports that Mr. L. H. Waering who says he is a former U.S. Intelligence Officer, informed him that he has definite information that a certain Maj. Rafeck, a Libyan based in Hongkong and his group supply Cotabato Muslims with money from Libya and ammos from Cambodia and the U.S.; that Henry [Bartholemuez?], Sri Lankan, now posing as an Australian and Capt. W. M. Somerville, Managing Director of Star Air Services, Kowloon, Hong Kong are two of his most active agents.
I have asked Gen. [Fabian] Ver to follow this up.
The fighting in Mindanao and Sulu may delay our economic and social development plans.
But it is probably providential that it happened this early and the Maoists (Nur Misuari, Jassmi Salamat and others) took over the leadership.
It could have been a messy, tedious dirty long series of small attritional skirmishes. But instead they have massed and sought to overrun our detachments and units, succeeding in some.
We have been able to mark out killing zones, pin them down and inflict casualties comparatively impossible in the Luzon campaign.
Rather cold-blooded—but this will short the conflict specially if we can push them to the negotiating table as we have in Sulu.
No Official Gazette entry for this day.