Tuesday
The Liberals led by [Gerardo] Roxas and [Benigno] Aquino [Jr.] are all over town, through all the media and the coffee shops and gatherings pontificating on their victory.
As of now in the senatorial fight, six Liberals are in with two Nacionalistas; [Manuel] Elizalde [Jr.] and [Ernesto] Maceda replacing [Melanio] Singson and [Salipada] Pendatun.
But from the looks of it, we have now more than 70% of the governors and a higher percentage of the mayors.
An example of this is Cebu. Out of the 45 towns we have won mayorships in 41 as well as most of the cities but we have lost the governorship and all the senators.
This confirms my belief that the senatorial fight was decided on emotional grounds—the Plaza Miranda bombing. The bandaged and plaster cost limbs and torsos of the Liberals was [sic] good emotional appeals which they exploited without restraint. And our people are a very emotional and pitying people.
So we have to build on the local executive for in Philippine politics the senator has never been a center of political power except in a few exceptional cases.
The CNEA [Citizen National Electoral Assembly] was partisan and one sided for the Liberals. The clergy should be prohibited from political activity as a group for any particular party.
And the Comelec [Commission on Elections] was bending backwards in favor of the opposition—in a deliberate effort to court favor with the media.
Of course the media has always been viciously against us. And this is true even of our friends (or supposed friends) like Hans Menzi and [Andres] Andy Soriano [Jr.].
The Comelec and CNEA were of course encouraged by our old “friend” Chino [Joaquin] Roces of the Manila Times.
The Lopezes spent money in many places including Iloilo and Leyte—the latter in a mean attempt to embarrass Imelda. Leyte has come out with 7-1 or 8-0. And Gov. B. [Benjamin] Romualdez (Kokoy) has won by a landslide.
Govs. Carmeling Crisologo and Samuel Reyes of Ilocos Sur and Isabela seem to have lost in the elections. But most of the mayors are ours. The possible winners, Chavit [Luis] Singson and Faustino Dee have connections with the NPA [New People’s Army], the latter more so than the former.
Although Chavit Singson did deny any connections with the NPA and pledged loyalty to our government and me before the elections.
I anticipate a difficult two years ahead.
Had Sec. Conally [sic] [John Connally] of Treasury (US) as a guest this afternoon.
I repeated to him our concern with Taiwan and he repeated Pres. [Richard] Nixon’s pledge that the U.S. would abide by its treaty obligations.
And I pressed the proposal I have repeated in the past that Filipino personnel be now trained to take over American facilities of defense.
That we must prevent the stampede to go to the side of Red China; and that we were holding a conference of Ministers in KL [Kuala Lumpur] on the question of the neutralization of Southeast Asia or the plan to ask the superpowers to agree to a non-aggression treaty in Asia.
I explained the communist threat of subversion which was real.
And asked him to convey these thoughts to Pres. Nixon.
12:10 AM November 10, 1971[1]
[1] Official Gazette for November 10, 1971: PRESIDENT MARCOS worked on official papers almost the whole morning and afternoon. At 5:30 p.m., the President held a press conference at the State Dining Hall, during which he called for unity and cooperation from all sectors. In his opening statement, the President also expressed satisfaction over the “exemplary conduct of our people in the elections of the 8th” which, he said, was a tribute to the capability of the Filipino people. “It is an achievement of everyone, not just of any particular party or any group of men or any office or agency in government,” but of the entire Filipino people, he said. The trend of the unofficial tallies at the time indicated that a majority of the new senators belong to the Opposition party, while on the local front about two-thirds to 70 per cent of all the local leaders or executives belong to the Nacionalista Party. “My reading of the results of the elections,” the President said, “is to the effect that while the Constitution and our laws and traditions demand that I assume responsibility for decisions, policies, and their implementation for and on behalf of the party that is in power, because the Nacionalista Party still controls the majority in both chambers of Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is now-necessary that I consult every sector of our society, especially the political opposition. I hereby announce that I invite all the presidents of all political parties, including of course the Liberal Party, to accept the membership in all the various councils, especially in the Security Council, in the Foreign Policy Council, in the Council of Leaders, in the Development Council, and various other groups which I shall indicate in detail later on.” Following the one-hour press conference, the President resumed his paper work.