Official Gazette for March 6, 1970: President Marcos spent most of the day working on state papers during which he freely consulted with his financial and economic advisers. In the morning, the President had a long conference with Vice-President Fernando Lopez, concurrently Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Chairman Alfredo Montelibano of the Rice and Corn Administration. After this conference, the President met with Speaker Pro-tempore Jose Aldeguer, Majority Floor leader Marcelino Veloso and Rep. Tito Dupaya of Cagayan. They discussed the status of administration bills pending in Congress.
The President also had consultations with PES Director-General Placido Mapa, Jr., who is concurrently chairman of the National Economic Council, Budget Commissioner Faustino Sy-Changco and Secretary of Commerce and Industry Leonides S. Virata, who took his oath of office as Chairman of the Development Bank of the Philippines before the President.
About noontime, the President received the officers of the Manila Live Stock Marketing Corporation who came to discuss certain problems, not only the suspended arrangement with the Greater Manila Terminal Food Market on the stabilization of the price of meat. The President summoned GMTFM General Manager Eliseo Ocampo and directed him to make arrangements for the continuing stabilization of the price of meat in Manila markets.
Early in the afternoon, the President received the Congressmen, Governors and City Mayors of the Bicol region who were accompanied to Malacañang by Senator Dominador Aytona. The Bicol leaders took up with the President problems facing their respective provinces. The officials also informed him that they had organized “peace forces” which will be utilized in the event of emergency. The group consisted of Reps. Felix Fuentebella of Camarines Sur, Roberto Sabido of Albay, Rafael Aquino of Sorsogon, and Jose Alberto of Catanduanes, Governors Armando Cledera of Camarines Sur and Jose Esteves of Albay; Provincial Board Member E. Tible of Camarines Sur; and Mayors Gregorio Imperial of Legaspi City and Jose Villanueva of Iriga City, and S. P. Bigay.
The President also designated Arturo R. Tanco, Jr. as acting Undersecretary of Agriculture.
Secretary Tanco, the latest of young technocrats tapped by the administration for a top level post, fills the vacancy in the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources left by Dean Dioscoro Umali.
Until his designation, Tanco was president and general manager of the Management and Investment Development Associates, Inc. (MIDA), as well as a ranking executive in 15 other private firms.
The President likewise submitted to the Commission on Appointments for confirmation 44 nominations to judiciary posts, all of whom had been extended ad interim appointments prior to the opening of the regular session of Congress.Topping the list of nominees was Justice Julio Villamor, who was named Associate Justice of the Supreme. Court. The other nominees include five associate justices of the Court of Appeals; two judges of the Court of First Instance; ten City Judges; 12 Municipal Judges; nine Clerks of Court; one member of the Board of Pardons and Parole; one solicitor, one assistant provincial fiscal, and two special attorneys in the Office of Agrarian Counsel. [the complete list of nominess published in OG has been omitted in this footnote].
In the evening, the President was the Keynote Speaker at the special convention of the Junior Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, held at the Rizal provincial capitol in Pasig.
In his address, the President stressed the massive scale of the reforms envisioned in the nation’s life and government, and asked that the people come together to work out these reforms on the basis of reason and through peaceful means under the democratic process. The Chief Executive conceded the urgent need for change, but appealed to the people that in instituting change they should “submit first of all to the authority of reason.” In the face of the vast dimensions of the reforms sought, he said, “if we are to succeed, we must work together, pool our energies and vitality, chart together our course and agree to follow it unwaveringly.”
And to do all this, he added, “we must move on the basis of reason.” [ Full text of the President’s speech in OG].
ave just spoken before the Jaycees in the Pasig, Rizal capitol in their national convention for constitutional amendments. Reforms yes, but perhaps the most urgent are the reforms inside us. Then the powers of the President in an emergency [are?] of this nature.
Father [Pacifico] Ortiz wishes to see me. So I have set a meeting here in Malacañang at 9:30 AM tomorrow. A little on the awkward side. But it is best that I set him at ease as he must be rather embarrassed since the statements he issued were rather arrogant.
Met with VP [Fernando] Lopez whom I convinced to take [Arturo] Bong Tanco [Jr.] as Asst. Secretary for Agriculture and to agree to have a committee on oil concessions to be organized. He was with [Alfredo] Piding Montelibano [Sr.] and Speaker Pro Tempore Jose Aldeguer. Piding says he has talked to I.P. [Indalencio] Soliongco to have the Chronicle toned down and to give them one week as the paper cannot suddenly turn around but must do so gradually. I wonder what happens to Ernesto Granada who has been unusually vicious.
Kerima Polotan will write on the media and the communists.
But we must soon put up a newspaper. The machinery that was donated to Imelda seems to be the right equipment for this project. We have to have a medium for our official positions.