Went to sleep last night at 3:30 AM because Imelda was restless and agitated. Woke up at 10:00 AM.
Called up Sec. V. [Vicente] Abad Santos on the de la Camara case pending before Judge [Manuel] Enage of Butuan City so that Sec. Abad Santos may by administrative order transfer all criminal cases for crimes committed within the jurisdiction of the new province of Agusan del Sur. This would transfer the de la Camara case to a court other than Judge Enage’s who is prejudiced against de la Camara and according to Sec. Abad Santos even conspired to have de la Camara killed. Judge Enage lives like a king. He has a big house in Maasin and lives it up in Butuan. He ordered a million pesos, more, bail bond for de la Camara. And notwithstanding the decision of the Supreme Court refuses to lower it.
So de la Camara has misgivings about surrendering to Judge Enage. He would rather go back to the mountains where his tribe is and accomplish the mission we have for him in the NPA [New People’s Army].
Then I talked to Cong. [Nicanor] Yñiguez to talk to Judge Enage to follow the administrative order to transfer all the criminal cases of Agusan del Sur to that province. He claims he has lost control of Judge Enage who is now arrogant, refused to see Cong. Yñiguez the last time the latter went to his house, but he will make one last effort next Saturday.
Worked on the position paper for the US-Phil. Air Agreement negotiations in Washington at the end of the month. We reject the Bermuda principle to the effect that the airline operators can fly any number of flights in the route and carry any number of passengers. We maintain the power of the local CAB [Civil Aeronautics Board] to control flights and passengers.
This noon the [Raul] Manglapus committee on Electrical Suffrage noted down by 19-17 the motion to delete from the report the ban-Marcos provision. But there are still at least five who have not voted or desisted and have up to about 10:00 AM to cast their votes. The boys, [Gilberto] Bibit Duavit, [Constantino] Baby Navarro [Jr.] and [Venancio] Yaneza are working on [Abraham] Abe Sarmiento through [Jaime] Jimmy Opinion, [Juan] Borra through [Guillermo] Guimo de Vega, Julio Ozamis through [Manuel] Neling Nieto [Jr.]. They are optimistic.
Official Gazette for May 25, 1972: THE President was closeted most of the time in his study even as he continued disposing of urgent official papers.
Among other actions, the President signed and submitted to the Commission on Appointments for confirmation the nominations of three persons to posts in the government.
The President has to lay aside his desk work occasionally to attend to a few unscheduled callers.
But it really does not matter since the question has to be brought to and decided on the floor of the convention.
The way the media and the political opposition has jumped on us and crucified us on all the issues raised against us. [Arturo] Tolentino the Nacionalista majority floor leader of the Senate has turned against us on the transfer of funds.
Sen. [Benigno] Aquino [Jr.] is as irresponsible as ever, treacherous and openly subversive. In the Senate he has falsely charged that I own one half of PAL [Philippine Airlines] and the other airlines. The revelations of de la Camara make me fear for our safety as a nation and as individuals.
I am now convinced that even if we retire peacefully we will be hunted and killed by the communists or the political opposition.
So there may be no other option but to wait until the communists start their urban operations making it necessary to declare martial law.