1:30 AM
Nov. 29th
Talked to Bongbong And Irene by long distance tonight. Talked to Imee at Washington where she is spending Thanksgiving with the Flannigans yesterday.
Historical association speech—extemporaneous.
Official Gazette for November 28, 1972: NEW ADDITIONAL reductions in meat retail prices which were voluntarily offered last week by meat dealers in Greater Manila, was officially promulgated by the- Price Control Council. The new reductions which promise further savings of P0.50 to P1.50 per kilo for consumers, cover beef and carabeef (carabao beef). The price cuts are over and above the retail price ceilings on meat which took effect October 15. The cuts are made possible with the successful implementation of Presidential Decree No. 7 which abolishes a number of fees and charges imposed by provincial, city and municipal governments, on the production, slaughter, transport and marketing of livestock and animal products.
PRESIDENT MARCOS issued Decree No. 70 which insures the successful operation of malaria eradication campaigns. The decree said that in order to overcome serious setbacks malaria eradication drives on account of the refusal of houseowners to cooperate in this campaign, adopted as part of the law of the land House Bill No. 15077 entitled “An Act Insuring the Successful Operation of Manila Eradication Campaigns in the Philippines.”
SOME 2,000 families of the cultural minorities recently received some 21,200 planting materials from the Bureau of Plant Industry in line with the government’s food production program, Director Eliseo C. Carandang of the Bureau of Plant Industry announced. The recipient families belong to the minority tribes in Tanay, Rizal; Zamboanga; Mindoro; Lanao del Sur and Cotabato. Under the cultural minority food project the BPI had distributed 570 cavans of agricultural seeds and 176,250 pieces of planting materials to 2,300 minority families last year.
PUBLIC INFORMATION Secretary Francisco S. Tatad emphasized a “new allegiance to truth” in the marketing society. In a speech, before the’ Philippine Marketing Association, Mr. Tatad said that “there must above all be a will to serve, to meet needs that exist rather than create needs that do not and need not exist, or enlarge those that exist only in margin.” He added: “Ours will continue to be a producing, marketing society. It will continue to be a consumer society. But there is a quality of life we must attain which must now assume precedence over the” considerations that used to govern our thoughts and actions in the consumer market. We are called upon to give what we can to make that quality of life possible—and the most that you can give is a total dedication to truth, integrity, fairness and the decency that make the good society attainable.”
PRESIDENT MARCOS ordered the arrest and prosecution of all persons who peddle or solicit human blood and all persons, including physicians, who conduct blood transfusions, even during emergencies, without first following the standards of blood banking practices. In Letter of Instructions No. 42, the President also directed the secretaries of health and justice “to close, stop or suspend the operations of hospitals, clinics and blood banks violating the provisions of R.A. 1517 which prohibits exportation of and trafficking in human blood, its products and derivatives for commercial purposes.” The letter of instructions was issued in view of the rampant trafficking in human blood in hospitals, clinics and blood banks despite a Presidential directive on March 23, 1972 regarding the strict implementation of R.A. 1517.
DURING FISCAL Year 1971-72, the country exported a total of 8,117,093 kilos of fresh mangoes, ginger, coffee, dried beans and fresh melons worth $1,887,107 to Hongkong, United States, Japan and Singapore. The exportations were made by some 30 firms and individuals, including the Greater Manila Terminal Food Market. The shipments were recorded by the Bureau of Plant Industry quarantine office in Port Area, Manila where all incoming and outgoing crops, seeds and other plant materials pass through for quarantine services. Exports during the fiscal year showed an increase of about $52,208 as compared to the preceding fiscal year’s total shipment which was 8,170,729 kilos worth $1,834,899.
Studied the changes of the Central Bank Charter and the General Banking Act with Sec. [Leonides] Virata and Gov. [Gregorio] Licaros. To be signed tomorrow.
Oil exploration by Caltex—service contract as promised by Zangaro, Caltex VP.
Heny [Eugenio] Lopez [Jr.], Serge [Sergio] Osmeña Jr., and Evaristo Zulueta were detained for interrogation yesterday. They admit there was a plot by [Larry] Trackman and the others but they did not participate in it. That Eugenio Lopez Sr. did not agree to it.
They must have consulted Manny Abello and Emilio Abello.
Heny Lopez Jr. admits this. And Sec. [Juan] Ponce Enrile says that Manny Abello was in his office asking about Heny.
But Serge has made many damaging admissions like testing the liquid explosive in the Lacson farm in Negros Occ. [Occidental] and giving a .22 caliber rifle at the instance of his father.
Basilan PC [Philippine Constabulary] detachment was ambushed at Mabuso. 3 KIA [killed in action]. It may be a diversion from Jolo.
We lost an F-86 off Negros—went out of gas after a sortie to Jolo from Mactan. Gen. [Jose] Rancudo says it may have been hit in the fuel tank.
I have ordered air operations to cease and for the 105 howitzers that have been landed in Camp Seit and the 69-Mine Sweeper Frigate now off Sibalo Hill to the west to take over the bombardment.
The ground troops cease operations until the arrival of reinforcements.
The casualties yesterday or the day before were due to the bunching up of the two companies in one draw or gully when two machine guns opened up on them from the top of a rise from two points during withdrawal.
They were too closely packed on the withdrawal; they followed the same route as the first one; they made no preparations for an ambush by the enemy which had been tried against them on the first assault.
Commodore [Gil] Fernandez reported to me at [Bahay] Pangarap after golf tonight at 9:00 PM.
He returns to Sulu tomorrow.