As I expected the Liberals and the Manila Times have started to make much of OPlan Saggitarius [sic].
So I have openly appealed to the Liberals not to connive with the communists, revealing that Jose Maria Sison and other communists have met with Liberals for a common front and consolidation of forces on propaganda, logistics, armed support and prevent the use of emergency powers—giving details.
I am sure this will start another raging controversy.
The reason there is a clamor for martial law is the open threat of the communists to punish the officers including me even after the termination of their office; the fact that if nothing is done the Communists will take over and the half measures like the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus will not do; and the society has to be reformed.
At “The Big Antique”
or “Ang Maharlika”
10:00 PM September 17, 1972[1]
Sunday
We escaped the loneliness of the palace for this old Antillan house now known as Ang Maharlika, the State Guest House several blocks from the palace. It has been restored beautifully by Imelda and is a symbol of Philippine culture in the last century. Almost all our antique valuables have been transferred here.
The departure of our children has made the place a ghostly unbearable place.
I took a long nap (4:30-7:30 PM) in the room of Bongbong which has the worst bed (bejuco) and the lumpiest mattress.
And after an early simple dinner of sardines and pancit, I was able to browse in the library where to my delight I discovered the books I have been wanting to read for some time—including [Louise] Fitzsimons, The Kennedy Doctrine, [Theodore] Sorensen’s The Kennedy Legacy, The Dirty Wars edited by Donald Johnson (some of the principles and lessons outmoded), Days of Fire by Samuel Katz (The Secret History of the Irgun Zvai Leumi and the Making of Israel), Chou-en-lai by Kai-Yu Hsu, Room 39 by Donald McLachlan (The room of the British Naval Intelligence in WWII), the History of the World in the 20th Century by [D. C.] Watt, [Frank] Spencer and [Neville] Brown.
I have invited the Liberal Party leaders (at least ten of their hierarchy) to come to the palace on Sept. 19th to be informed of what we have on the negotiations and agreements between the Maoists and the Liberal’s.
The Liberal head, Sen. G. [Gerardo] Roxas, issued a demand for me to point out the Liberal negotiating with the Communists, knowing full well that I refer to Sen. [Benigno] Aquino [Jr.], his opponent for leadership in the party and wanting to disqualify Aquino by my own action.
But the Liberals should not get out of this that easily.
For some of the other leaders have been dealing with the Communists—[Ramon] Mitra, [Jose] Yap, [Ramon] Felipe [Jr.], [Faustino] Dy [Sr.], [Salipada] Pendatun, [Rashid] Lucman, etc.
Antonio Zumel, news editor of the Bulletin had an explanation of his Trade Asia activities in today’s papers. He adopts an aggressive stance of hurt innocence!
I received the report on the 7,400 cases of dynamite apprehended in Del Pan Bridge by the COSAC [Constabulary Offshore Smuggling and Anti Crime Unit] under Maj. [Wilfredo?] Cruz, son of Maj. Gen. Pelagio Cruz, the ASAC [Anti-Smuggling Action Center] chief. I ordered the dynamite impounded notwithstanding the claim of ______ for it.
The Air Manila plane was apparently bombed at 4:40 AM yesterday by a grenade in a valise with incendiary bombs over Romblon, prepared to ditch because of the right engine being out of commission from the grenade blast but was able to limp up to Roxas City where it landed at about 5:00 AM in the dark with nothing but its landing lights to guide it. Capt. Samonte, the captain of the plane did a good job and was lucky.
I have checked on the plans of the delegations I am sending to the IMF [International Monetary Fund], the UN [United Nations] and other international conferences.
12:50 PM September 18, 1972[2]
Monday
The Concon [Constitutional Convention] and the sala of Judge [Julian] Lustre of Quezon City trying the subversives were bombed by unidentified persons this afternoon at 3:40 PM. It caused extensive damage and injured about twenty people.
Two of the subversives were almost able to escape.
This is apparently the answer of the subversives to the raids on their headquarters in Manila, Quezon and Pasay last Sunday morning at 4:30 where about 48 were arrested including [Jorge] Cabardo, a former PMA [Philippine Military Academy] cadet who is tagged as the Visayan NPA [New People’s Army] head.
Ex. Sec. [Alfredo] Piding Montelibano [Sr.], after bringing the problems of the PNB [Philippine National Bank] and the sugar industry, pledged that he and his family (one governor and one congressman) were behind me and Imelda even if I proclaimed martial law.
One thing about this man, he has a good nose for survival.
We finalized the plans for the proclamation of martial law at 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM with the SND [Secretary of National Defense], the Chief of Staff, major service commanders, J-2 [Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence], Gen. [Ignacio] Paz, 1st PC [Philippine Constabulary] Zone Commander, Gen. [Tomas] Diaz and Metrocom [Metropolitan Command] commander, Col. [Alfredo] Montoya with Gen. [Fabian] Ver in attendance.
They all agreed the earlier we do it the better because the media is waging a propaganda campaign that distorts and twists the facts and they may succeed in weakening our support among the people if it is allowed to continue.
So after the bombing of the Concon, we agreed on the 21st without any postponement.
We finalized the target personalities, the assignments and the procedures.
Our communications network will center in Malacañan as before.
[1] Official Gazette for September 17, 1972: THE PRESIDENT continued devoting most of his time to desk work. In the course of the day, he ordered the impounding by the PC of 7,400 cases of dynamite earlier apprehended by the Constabulary Offshore Smuggling and Anti Crime Unit (COSAC) while being loaded from a barge onto cargo trucks off Del Pan bridge. The shipment had no accompanying papers and no claimants. Ordnance reports on the spate of bombings in the Greater Manila area showed that in many of the bombings, dynamite of the’ same kind as those apprehended has been used.
[2] Official Gazette for September 18, 1972: THE PRESIDENT ordered Commerce Secretary and concurrently Civil Aeronautics Board Chairman Troadio T. Quiazon and Civil Aeronautics Administrator Jesus C. Singson to require domestic airlines to make physical searches of all plane passengers and luggage before any flight. The President issued the order following an explosion aboard an Air Manila Fokker plane, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Roxas City. Among other actions, the President: 1. Directed Public Works Secretary David Consunji and Highways Commissioner Baltazar Aquino to organize an investigating committee to look into the collapse of the bridge in Naga City, which resulted in death and injury to hundreds of people. 2. Justice Secretary Vicente Abad Santos to coordinate with Secretary Consunji and Commissioner Aquino in the filing of criminal charges against those responsible for the faulty construction of the bridge. Earlier in the day, the President received provincial delegations which apprised him of flood damages sustained by their respective localities and sought assistance to expedite their rehabilitation. The President also administered the oath to Victorino Savellano as city judge of Manila. Present at induction rite were the inductee’s wife Virginia, other relatives and friends.