Breakfast for Sec. of Transportation [John] Volpe former governor of Massachusetts. Voluble and Italian. Lacking in finesse. Even asked me, a head of state, to convey to the Holy Father his greetings!
Short like Sec. [Carlos] Romulo, who was there with Sec. [Juan] Ponce Enrile, Amb. [Henry] and Mrs. [Jitka] Byroade, R[ear]Adm[iral] Pruis, his aide.
Then met the political leaders up to about 1:00 PM.
Dictated the outline for a foreign policy article the gist of which is that the U.S. cannot keep its military presence indefinitely in Asia. But before it goes, she must help the Philippines prepare the indigenous troops to replace the Americans. And this the U.S. is not doing. Nor is there any understanding as to economic development. Almost all of the aid from the U.S. goes to agriculture and population control when our target is a balanced agro-industrial economy.
Official Gazette for November 13, 1970: President Marcos started the day by hosting a breakfast, along with the First Lady, Mrs. Imelda R. Marcos, for visiting Transportation Secretary John Volpe of the United States, and Mrs. Volpe at Malacañang.
Then the President had a conference with Secretary of Foreign Affairs Carlos P. Romulo, Secretary of National Defense Juan Ponce Enrile, and Secretary of Public Works and Communications Manuel B. Syquio, who were also breakfast guests, on various state matters pertaining to their departments.
Later in the day, the President had two more conferences, one with a group of officials from Pangasinan; the other with Rep. Eduardo Cojuangco on matters in the latter’s constituency. Present at the meeting with Pangasinan officials were Land Authority Gov. Conrado Estrella, Reps. Roberto Estrella and Antonio P. Villar.
In the afternoon, the Chief Executive directed Budget Commissioner Faustino SyChangco to release the funds needed to implement- the five per cent salary increase of public school teachers in Manila. Funds for this purpose was provided for in the current appropriations act, and will involve some P110,000 a month. The increase will be effective July 1, this year.
The President also directed the Department of Foreign Affairs to ask the United States government for an immediate renegotiation of the Philippine-U.S. Military Bases Agreement of 1947.
The President made it clear that the agreement must be renegotiated to remove, among other things, those defects and controversial passages that tend to divide national opinion on the matter of upholding the country’s sovereignty and national dignity.
After clearing off his scheduled conferences, he then worked steadily at his desk, breaking off at around 6:30 p.m. to meet, again, a group of Catholic bishops led by Rufino J. Cardinal Santos. The meeting was on the arrangements for the coming Papal visit.
Meanwhile, the President promulgated the guidelines and procedures to be followed by government offices in the dispersal of government assets with a value of over P500,000. The guidelines were drawn in line with the policy to obtain the best price for government assets up for sale. Primarily, sealed public bidding has been prescribed, in order that a sufficient number of legitimate bidders could participate.
Ordered the release of P88 million for the Pan Phil. Highway, by Com. [Faustino] Sychangco. Stopped the expenditure of P75 million for books by the Dept. of Education.
Then met the hierarchy of the Catholic church (after the golf game at Manila Golf Club from 3:30-5:15 PM) on the succession of events that threaten to divide the forces of the church and state against the communist and the radicals.
First the Govt. [Government] Report attack on the church which [Rufino] Cardinal Santos and Mons. [Juan Bautista?] Velasco called untrue and false because the facts and statistics stated were as of 70 years ago and no longer hold true now.
Imelda reminded them of the Bishops Conference resolution blaming the government of all the ills of society without assuming its proper share of the blame. And I called attention to the activities of the priests in some provinces and the Ateneo.
There should be active liaison between the two—and Mons. [Mariano] Gaviola would be the liaison.
We would utilize the powers of government to rid both groups of elements that seek to destroy us.
Father [Cornelio] Lagerway[,MSC] was prominently mentioned as a radical preaching revolution and spreading sex. An issue of “Now” in which the article entitled something like “The Saint of the Cunt” was mentioned.
We also agreed to that he should be deported.
And we will hasten the joint project of a settlement area in Montalban of even just a thousand hectares.