1:00 AM Oct. 27th
Had a fruitful meeting with the Episcopal Commission on Social Action. Imelda helped me. She charmed them.
Mons. Labayen headed them. He started out to explain when I asked that instead of sniping at each other from a distance we now join hands to attain our common objectives and maintain a line of communications.
His explanation was that since before martial law since the purpose was to shock the establishment into action some of the things they did and said had to be extreme. But that since
Official Gazette for October 28, 1972: PRESIDENT MARCOS took steps to carry out the formation of a “Do Tank” that will assure the speedy and effective implementation of the administration’s specific programs of reforms. In Letter of Instructions No. 36 addressed to the Executive Secretary, the Chairman of the Reorganization Commission and Cabinet members concerned, the President directed the appointment or designation of regional implementing officers or implementors.
These officers are empowered to utilize the prerogatives of the Office of the President in their supervision of projects to enable them to call upon the manpower and other resources of other government agencies in the particular region in the achievement of objectives of the various vital programs and projects.
The officers are responsible not only to the department secretaries concerned but to the President as well, and shall submit periodic progress and accomplishment reports. “I hope this organization will create the corps of action officers for the ‘Do Tank’ which is vital to the achievement of the goals of reforms envisioned for the New Society,” the President said in his Letter.
The Secretary of Public Works, Transportation and Communications was directed by President Marcos to implement the reorganization of the regional offices and highway district offices of the Bureau of Public Highways as set forth in the Integrated Reorganization Plan for the Executive Branch of the government. In his Letter of Instruction No. 6, the President adopted the recommendation of the Commission on Reorganization on the BPH regional offices and the highway district offices in line with the decentralization scheme of the administration.
To facilitate the weeding out of criminal and lawless element among the country’s police forces. President Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 12-B providing for the summary removal from the service of policemen who are recidivists or notoriously undesirable on the ground of dishonesty, incompetence or other kind of misconduct. An initial batch of 114 policemen was, forthwith, suspended by the Police Commission in pursuance of this decree.
The chairman of the Police Commission said those suspended are facing charges for serious offenses, with evidence of guilt against them to be strong. Ordered suspended were 36 from Quezon City, 23 from Caloocan City, 20 from Manila, 13 from Olongapo City, 11 from Pasay City, seven from Navotas, Rizal, two from Taguig, Rizal and two from Muntinglupa, Rizal.
The President, likewise, ordered the preventive suspension of Gov. Patricio Dumlao of Nueva Vizcaya in view of serious charges filed against him by a town mayor in that province and a lady dentist of Bayombong, the provincial capital. The President has advised Vice Governor Luis Bernabe, Sr. to assume the office of the governor during the suspension period of Gov. Dumlao.
Secretary of National Defense Juan Ponce Enrile was ordered by President Marcos to take over and control the assets of corporations owned and controlled by Fernando Jacinto. In Letter of Instructions No. 35, the President said that in order to further protect the interests of the government in the Iligan Integrated Steel Mills, Inc. and in furtherance of Letter of Instructions No. 27 dated October 14, 1972, the Secretary of National Defense was ordered to take over the assets of the following: (1) Jacinto Steel Incorporated; (2) Jacinto Iron and Steel Sheets Corporation; (3) J & P Shipping Corporation; and (4) Beatriz Marketing and Trading Corporation.
martial law was bringing about their desired ends of reform then it was time for them to change their tactics. And this would require a continuous dialogue.
They asked the opening of more stations (radio) the publication of the magazine Impact the magazine which is the channel for Social Doctrine in Southeast Asia and help on the release of some of their members and workers.
I attach the papers and notes of the conference.
While our reform programs are moving ahead of schedule I am worried about the expected huge deficits.
So we must save at least 10% of the budget. Gov’t [government] income has decreased because of the floods. So we must crack down on the tax evaders and smugglers, improve the tax collection efficiency, increase some taxes and borrow some money from domestic and foreign sources.
I have begun to work on the sequel of Today’s Revolution—Democracy. It will contain a comparative study of martial law in various countries, forms of democracy and their ideologies—as well as our ideology.
It looks as if there may be a ceasefire in Vietnam before the U.S. elections but the signing or effective date of the peace treaty may be after 5elections.
Ambassador [Henry] Byroade came to see me on the instructions of Sec. of State [William] Rogers to arrange the trans-shipment of 90 FS jet fighters to Vietnam beginning tonight up to Nov. 15th. I agreed provided that this does not violate the conditions of the Vietnam Treaty of Peace.
Amb. Byroade had anticipated my question on this and wired the State Dept. Rogers answered that the shipment was going to be finished by Nov. 15th before the “effectivity of the Treaty” and would not violate the conditions of the peace treaty. This should mean that the Treaty would not be effective until after the elections in the U.S.
Although I observed there may be n ceasefire before then—indicating that the Americans may be treading on dangerous ground but that we were willing to help. He also said that the shipments may come and go boxed in their flying boxcars.
Amb. Pham Dang Lam, special enemy of Pres. [Nguyen Van] Thieu and Vietnam chief negotiator in Paris arrived in Manila this afternoon and will see me tomorrow at 10:00 AM.