MALACAÑAN PALACE
MANILA
At “The Big Antique”
or “Ang Maharlika”
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.
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.
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.