Received letters from the children which I attach. The letter of Irene was the most touching and my eyes smarted from tears I felt welled up from my heart for my lovely 10 year old daughter.
Ambassador [Henry] Byroade who has been hospitalized for lumbar pneumonia came over to show he was fit and working. He gave me a letter which I attach on the additional material and equipment for our armed forces.
And informed me that the five UH-1H helicopters will come the first quarter of calendar year 72, not later than August.
Met the Nacionalista Senators at the Presidential room at Intercontinental Hotel with Sen. Pres. [Gil] Puyat playing host.
Out of the 19, the following were absent: Jose Roy (he asked to be excused as he wanted me to talk to Puyat on the Senate Presidency), [Dominador] Aytona who also has gone to see [Fernando] Nanding Jacinto in Honolulu, [Salvador] Laurel, [Jose] Diokno, [Eva Estrada] Kalaw, [Genaro] Magsaysay.
Official Gazette for May 7, 1971: President Marcos sought the early completion of public works and rural improvement projects, urging greater effort during the summer months to head off the rainy season. The President told Budget Commissioner Faustino Sy-Changco, Secretary of Public Works and Communications Manuel B. Syquio, and PACD Officer-ln-Charge Rosendo Marquez in a conference in Malacañang, that all necessary funds be released for the priority projects so that substantial progress may be made before the rains set in. The President said that unless the projects are completed on time they might be set back by the elements when the rains start, and the expenses and effort put into them would just be wasted.
He later received several provincial governors and city mayors from Luzon who took up with him their local problems, particularly releases from the Calamity Fund. Special Highways Fund, and from their share of excess income tax collections.Among those who railed were Governors Cipriano Primicias, Jr. of Pangasinan. Silvino B. Agudo of Batanes, Jose S. Estevez of Albay. Elizabeth M. Keon of Ilocos Norte, and Bienvenido Ongkeko representing Gov. Amando Cledera of Camarines Sur; and City Mayors Reynaldo Reyes of Lipa, Cesar P. Dizon of San Pablo, Cipriano Manaois of Dagupan and Elpidio Cucio of Palayan.
Among other actions, the President delegated to the National Historical Commission the authority to choose the awardee or awardees in the field of history in connection with the Annual Republic Cultural Heritage Awards.The President’s move was in recognition of the functions and responsibilities of the historical commission, notably to enable it to “encourage research in Philippine history and the writing and publication of textbooks on the subject, research on and the writing of biographies of heroes accounts of historical events, translation of important scholarly works of Filipinos and foreigners” through appropriate and adequate incentives.
The President also submitted to the Commission on Appointments the nominations of four bar topnotchers, four provincial and city fiscals, three Department of Justice officials, six law professors, one clerk of the Supreme Court, live law practitioners as judges of the Court of First Instance of various salas in the country; and transferred 12 CFI judges to salas in the Greater Manila area.
When I started talking to them after the dinner, I first impressed them with the fact that I was determined to campaign hard and win the elections. I revealed to them that I am releasing to each barrio P1,000 for the last quarter of 1971, another P1,000 for the first quarter of next year; for each municipality P10,000 for each of these quarters: for each governor P100,000, for each lieutenant governor P50,000, for each congressman P200,000 in addition to the highway special fund, the portworks special funds, calamity fund, irrigation fund etc.
I could see they were impressed that the party was going to win. They never expected that we could release so much money.
Then when they asked to be given some projects I said each senator gets P400,000 each.
Then they asked for patronage.
I do not believe they will be too obstreperous now.