Have just finished a letter to Bongbong. He has got a bad knee from tackling another boy in rugby. I suggested he take Varidase which I sent him some time ago—with the advise [sic] of the doctor of course.
Played golf in the morning, then conferred with Sec. Cesar Virata, Gov. Greg[orio] Licaros, Roman Cruz Jr., [Roberto] Bobby Benedicto, PNB [Philippine National Bank] Acting Pres. [Eusebio] Villatuya and [Panfilo] Domingo of the Foreign Debt of the PNB whom I am sending to London to set up office to do nothing but look into offers of loans which are coming in.
I am sending Ben del Rosario to the Middle East to do the same.
I have had to set up this machinery as the offers of loans are coming to me directly. And this has become a big nuisance. At the same time we do need the loans but at terms that are acceptable.
Then worked out with Ambassador [Henry] Byroade, Mr. Alan Ford, Secs. [Vicente] Abad Santos, [Juan] Ponce Enrile and Manuel Collantes, the complications arising out of the order of arrest of Col. Holman, Clark Air Force Commander, by Judge Gaddi for contempt for not appearing to explain how one of the accused, Williams, in an attempted rape case succeeded in fleeing Philippine jurisdiction when he was supposed to be confined to quarters in Clark Air Base. Messy and thorny legal question because the
Official Gazette, October 27, 1970: The President had a series of conferences, plus a full schedule of callers. In between, he worked on state papers. One of his earliest meetings was with Senator Jose J. Roy, and Secretary of National Defense Juan Ponce Enrile and Secretary of Justice Vicente Abad Santos.
An important conference was that which discussed new moves to combat crime, attended by Cavite Gov. Delfin Montano, POLCOM Chairman Crispino de Castro, Secretary Enrile, NBI Director Jolly Bugarin, and others. Proposals made by Gov. Montano were referred by the President for study to Secretary Enrile and the POLCOM chief. Later the President conferred with Rep. Ramon Bagatsing and Dean Feliciano Jover Ledesma of the San Beda College on private matters.
The President also received in the afternoon the staff of the Philippine Pavilion at Expo ’70, led by Commissioner Victor Lim and Deputy Commissioner Jesus Tanchanco. Also present was the First Lady, Mrs. Imelda R. Marcos. The President commended the staff for a job well done. Others received by the President were Reps. Rafael B. Legaspi of Aklan, Rogaciano Mercado of Bulacan, Angel Conception of Nueva Ecija, Eduardo Gullas of Cebu, Antonio Diaz of Zambales, Felipe Almazan of Kalinga-Apayao, Gov. Amado Almazan of Kalinga-Apayao and Mayor Salvador Dimson of Lubao, Pampanga.
Later, the Chief Executive affixed his signature to two air agreements earlier negotiated by the Philippine government with the governments of Belgium and Japan, and which went into effect after the exchange of diplomatic notes. The agreements were transmitted to the President by the Civil Aeronautics Administration through Acting Executive Secretary Roberto V. Reyes for the former’s signature. The new air agreements were negotiated in line with the government’s open skies policy, enunciated by the President last year, which was designed to encourage tourist travel to the Philippines.
court does not have jurisdiction over the Commander of Clark Air Base in the performance of a State Act.
I am sure the radicals will make much of it—the impotence of the Philippine government; they will claim we refuse to stand up to the big Americans!
Finished the conferences with the provincial leaders.