Official Gazette for September 29, 1970: President Marcos conferred with representatives of national and local law enforcement agencies operating in the Greater Manila area and received a number of callers which included provincial delegations.
In between his paper work, the President also met members of the Indonesian Dance Troupe who called at Malacañang at noon to say goodbye before enplaning to; Jakarta after giving a series of performances at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Accompanied by Indonesian Ambassador Kusno Utomo and Director-General Suwandono of the Ministry of Education and Culture, the dancers performed in Manila following a five-month stint at the Expo ’70 in Osaka, Japan.
In his meeting with police agency representatives, the President fired off a series of orders designed to coordinate the operations of national and local police forces in the wake of the recent ambush of Rep. Salipada K. Pendatum and the rash of robberies and hold-ups in and around the Manila area. The President observed that lawless elements “are getting bolder and more daring” and exhibit virtual “contempt for the law.” Acting upon the requests and recommendations of the conferees, the President ordered:
1) Activation of foot patrols. 2) Strict surveillance of known gangs and crime syndicates, ex-convicts and persons facing criminal charges, as well as renewed efforts to recapture escaped prisoners. 3) Assignment of local police officers to METROCOM teams, a practice, which had been discontinued, due to lack of METROCOM vehicles. 4) The loan of 25 jeeps, ten of which will be for the Manila police, and five each for the police departments of the cities Quezon, Caloocan and Pasay. 5) The immediate release by the Philippine Constabulary of ₱80,000 for the repair of 40 METROCOM cars sidelined because of engine or other defects. 6) The METROCOM to establish a civilian vehicle pool for police work, the operating expenses for which will be defrayed by the government. 7) Official requests from police chiefs and city mayors to import transportation and communications equipment so that the necessary foreign exchange can be worked out with the Central Bank. 8) The release to the METROCOM of ₱490,000 worth of communications equipment, acquired through reparations, by the defense department. 9) The detail of 300 PC recruits with METROCOM, as a reserve force, and thus raise its complement to 1,800 officers and men.
Present at the conference were: Brig. Gen, Mariano Ordoñez, chief of METROCOM; Col. Pelagio Perez of the CIS, PC; acting NBI Director Ponciano Fernando; Assistant POLCOM Commissioner Sergio F. Go; Col. Luis Amor of the Peace and Order Council; Cols. Gerardo Tamayo and James Barbers, MPD chief and deputy chief, respectively; Col. Tomas Karingal, Quezon City chief of police;. Col. Celestino Rosca, Caloocan City chief of police; Lt. Col/ Fernando P. Angara, Makati chief of police; and Maj. Delfin Francisco of the Pasay City police department.
Other callers at Malacañang included Secretary of Commerce and Industry Ernesto Maceda, former Secretary Alfredo Montelibano, and delegations from Pampanga headed by Gov. Francisco Nepomuceno and from Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte led by Mayor Constantino Benemerito.
The President commended the Reserve Airlift and Tactical Support Service Squadron (RATSS) commanded by Lt. Col. Enrique Zobel, which is also popularly known as the “Weekend Warriors” of the Philippine Air Force, for its effective participation in the transport of relief supplies and the mercy missions it undertook in the wake of the typhoon which devastated northern Quezon province early his month. In his commendation, the President said that the response of the RATSS pilots, many of them flying their own planes, in airlifting food, medicines and volunteer relief workers amply demonstrated the unit’s capabilities and its high state of readiness for any emergency.
While at work on state papers, the President submitted to the Commission on Appointments for confirmation 40 nominees to various posts in the government. (List of nominees in OG.)
The President also called the following message of condolence to Vice President Anwar El-sadat of the United Arab Republic on the death of President Gamal Abdel Nasser:
“I am saddened to hear of the untimely death of President Gamal Abdel. Nasser. With his passing, the United. Arab Republic lost a most distinguished son; the Arab world a respected leader; and the world an eminent statesman. On behalf of the Filipino people, may I request your Excellency to convey our
Imelda leaves New York for Honolulu, an eleven-hour trip where she will stay one night and one day to come home Wednesday night to arrive here Thursday morning.
She had been told by Stan Swinton, AP [Associate Press] head at New York, that the Yuyitung brothers would be released by the Chiang Kai Shek government on Oct. 1st or 2nd. She suggested we talk to Ambassador [Henry] Byroade and Com. [Edmundo] Munding Reyes. Instead I asked Acting Sec. of Foreign Affairs Manuel Collantes to see Ambassador of China Pichi Sun. I just talked to Collantes and the ambassador by telephone and he assures me that they would not be released but that he is wiring his government informing them of our loss of face if they should so release them.
She has talked to 80 bankers of the U.S. by her count. And they have promised to help out in the restructuring of our debts (short term into long term) after the consultative meeting on Oct. 1 and 2nd in Paris with some vague promise that there may be a $150 million loan (stand-by) later on. But as one of the bankers revealed to Gen. Manager [Roman] Cruz [Jr.] of the GSIS [Government Social Insurance System], they (the U.S. bankers) do not want to spoil us because we go crying out to them every time we are in trouble. As I told Imelda those American bankers with a few expectations have nothing but dollars for hearts. But we have to continue dealing with them. However we should actively seek new sources of credit and new markets.
Because of the rash of robberies in broad daylight and the attempted assassination of Cong. [Salipada] Pendatun by ambuscade, I called a meeting of the Chiefs of Police of the four cities (Manila, Quezon, Caloocan and Pasay) with the Chief of Metrocom [Metropolitan Command], NBI [National Bureau of Investigation, CIS [Criminal Investigation Service] and the POLCOM [Police Commission].
I found that the communications equipment for which P2.2 million was allocated more than a year ago has not been procured because the committee at the DND [Department of National Defense] has been quarrelling as to what to procure. Now we have only P490,000 available and the papers are in G-4. I ordered Maj. Gen. [Romeo] Espino, acting Chief of Staff as Gen. [Manuel] Yan is abroad (Korea), to see to it that the communications equipment be immediately procured. 40 of the 70 patrol cars of Metrocom are non-operational. I ordered P80,000 to be released for their repair. It would need an average of P2,000 each car to put them operational. Then I ordered that the Metrocom which had an original strength of 1,800 but has been reduced to 1,200 be augmented by 300 from the Pasig task force which is supposed to guard the Palace and environs as well as meet any armed attack on the city and 300 from the new recruits of the PC [Philippine Constabulary].
Then I ordered the organization of civilian vehicle pools for patrolling by the police, maintenance and fuel to come from the local governments.
sincere condolences to the Egyptian people who regarded him as a father, to his colleagues, and to the bereaved members of his family.”
But I ordered that foot patrols be maintained until we can get enough vehicles for patrolling.
In the meantime, too, the Armed Forces will lend jeeps for patrolling to the local police (25 to 50).
The peace and order fund must be approved. It is bogged down in the conference committee.
I have directed Cong. [Mohammad] Ali Dimaporo, the President of the Minsupala [Mindanao, Sulu, Palawan], to represent me with Cong. Jose Aspiras (Christian representation) to proceed to Cairo to represent me in the funeral of President Abdul Nasser of Egypt who died suddenly last night of a heart attack.
The death of Nasser complicates the Middle East question.