Official Gazette for November 20, 1970: President Marcos flew from Baguio City on the first available government aircraft, arriving in Manila just before noon. From the Nichols Air Base he, together with state visitor, Gen. Ne Win of Burma, the First Lady, Mrs. Imelda R. Marcos, and Executive Secretary Alejandro Melchor, Jr. went straight to Camp Aguinaldo where he presided at the meeting of all government agencies involved in the relief and rehabilitation of typhoon victims, to coordinate their efforts.
In the course of the meeting, the President: 1. Signed a proclamation declaring a state of calamity in the provinces of Rizal and Bataan, and in the cities of Manila, Caloocan, Quezon and Pasay.
In signing the proclamation, the President emphasized that under a state of calamity, it is a criminal act to conceal, hoard, overprice or profiteer in the process of the sale of foodstuff and other prime necessities of life. 2. Directed the Metrocom to maintain round-the-clock patrols of city streets, particularly to prevent the theft of wires and looting, in the face of the blackout and the breakdown of PLDT and other communications, including media services, which may take some time to restore. 3. Asked the heads of the Government Service Insurance System, the Social Security System, the Development Bank of the Philippines, and the Philippine National Bank to liberalize their procedures in granting emergency loans to typhoon victims. He also asked these officials to study the feasibility of declaring a moratorium on receivables, or re-amortization of existing loans. 4. Authorized the GSIS manager, the SSS Administrator, the PNB president, the DBP chairman, and the Governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines to contribute at least P^00,000 each in order to augment government funds for relief and rehabilitation work.
5. Instructed the Department Social Welfare and the Philippine Navy to coordinate in helping homeless typhoon victims return to their home provinces. 6. Directed the Armed Forces of the Philippines to lend auxiliary generators to the Department of Health which will in turn lend the units to the National Children’s Hospital and the National Orthopedic Hospital. 7. Told the Bureau of Public Works and the Army Engineers to assist the Nawasa in restoring water services wherever these have been cut off. 8. Asked Secretary Public Works and Communcation Manuel Syquio to immediately normalize communications.
At the meeting, Dr. Aldaba Lim informed the President that the First Lady’s Project Tulungan, with the assistance of the US-Agency for International Development; has been maintaining rolling kitchens to serve some 36 evacuation and relief centers in the metropolitan area.
The President also reconfirmed the suspension of classes by the secretary of education, and the closing of government offices in the meantime, in the calamity area. Likewise, the President, through Secretary Melchor, gave a three-day weekend to government employees, from Nov. 20 through the duration of the period of calamity,
After the meeting, which broke up around 2 p.m., the Chief Executive returned to Malacañang, where he “worked on state papers awaiting him. He issued an order removing from office Municipal Judge Pedro R. Ravage of Cagwit, Surigao del Sur, who was considered “unfit to remain in the judicial branch of the Government”. The case against the respondent judge was brought about by a complaint of Clenio Gndona, who charged the judge with political harassment and persecution.
At about 5 p.m., the President conducted a survey of the disaster areas in the Greater Manila area, including the Philippine Navy headquarters on Roxas boulevard and Fort Bonifacio, to see for himself the actual damage and determine the needs of the victims. At the FN headquarters, he inspected the navy facilities damaged by the typhoon, while at Fort Bonifacio, the President, also observed the distribution of potable water by members of the Philippine Army to residents of the camp and the adjacent Guadalupe area.
The President followed his regular routine the rest of the day, with emphasis on those tasks related to post-typhoon needs. He kept in couch through the evening with all relief and rehabilitation workers.
We tried to get out of Baguio early so we could immediately attend to the typhoon damage. But our planes had escaped the typhoon to Mactan and could not come to fetch us until 11:00 AM.
So I worked through the radio and issued the orders needed for relief work.
We went to the golf course at John Hay to cancel our appointments and see the city while waiting for the planes.
Gen. Ne Win played two holes, excused himself because of some twinge or pain in the region of the heart but insisted that I continue. However I followed him after a short time.
There were questions raised as to the advisability of flying after the typhoon but the weather seemed good so we decided to fly.
The PMA [Philippine Military Academy] cadets were at Loakan airfield. They gave a parade for us.
We left at about 12:00 and arrived at 12:45 PM at Nichols Air Base.
We passed through Roxas Blvd. to the Disaster Control Center where all four of us attended the conference.
Our guests gave some medicines to the victims.
Dinner at 8:30 PM for a few select groups where we had more intimate conversations on our problems.
Power and water are out and they pose the gravest problem as they may not cause only discomfort but an epidemic.
Specifically since the Meralco [Manila Electric Company] estimates at least two weeks is needed to reestablish their lines and Nawasa [National Water and Sewerage Authority] pumps cannot operate without electricity.
Even the alternative power in Malacañan is insufficient.
All the big trees along Roxas Blvd. seem to be down (Navy Commodore [Dioscoro] Papa says they counted 143 tress). Two commercial vessels are aground against the rocks on the boulevard; the Pres. Roxas is aground on the shallows; an LST [Landing Ship, Tank] (Navy) is aground at the break water and a repair boat (Navy) inside the Manila Yacht Club pond.