Sen. [Benigno] Aquino [Jr.] is, of course, playing a double game. He was in danger from the Maoists, as reported by him to Sec. [Juan] Ponce Enrile when he (Aquino) interviewed Flewelyn [sic] [Fluellen] Ortigas in the stockade. He had been told by Ortigas that he, [Gerardo] Roxas and [Sergio] Osmeña [Jr.] were going to be liquidated by the Maoists, then put the blame on the administration.
So I believe he negotiated a meeting with Jose Maria Sison and is protected from that side.
But now he is convinced he is also in danger from the government. So he goes through the motions of giving information to the Secretary of National Defense to get protection from government.
And I believe that he will, however, help the Maoists more than the government.
9:30 AM—Credentials presentation by the Dominican Ambassador based in Japan.
10:00—Seato [Southeast Asia Treaty Organization] Anniversary which was a presentation of awards to the model barrios of the Philippines, contest held under the auspices of PACD [Presidential Assistant on Community Development].
11:00 AM—Sugar Conference
Before that met Speaker [Cornelio] Villareal and Sec. [Carlos] Romulo on the Moscow visit of the former. I directed that we maintain the present policy. But that we must encourage more intensified exchanges in culture and trade. We must push more sales of our mineral ore, coconut oil and abaca.
In the sugar conference we took up.
The Sugar Act which authorizes the suspension of the sugar quota in case of expropriation of property of American citizens.
Domestic sugar—raw sugar, including those coming from the Visayas will now be used to flood the market. We will not need to refine the sugar.
Quedans without sugar. The PNB [Philippine National Bank] should with the DBP [Development Bank of the Philippines] guarranty [sic] a $5 million loan to [Valeriano?] Bueno and Pasumil [Pampanga Sugar Mills] payable over ten years, and with sufficient collateral, so thal Pasumil can pay off the P23 million shortage of sugar in its warehouses.
Carebi [Central Azucarera-Refineria de Bataan] is holding 130,000 piculs worth of quedans of the Pasumil shortage of 190,000 piculs.
I told them that I did not feel like helping a scoundrel but that if it was necessary to do so, we would have to.
We will be able to fill up our quota in the U.S. of 1,401,000 tons. We now have a 200,000 ton shortage. And we can make it up by early milling which started Sept. 1st.
Conferred with Sec. Ponce Enrile and Gen. [Fabian] Ver on the need to prepare for an early attempt of the Maoists to terrorize Manila.
12:35 PM September 9, 1972[1]
Saturday
Calamity Workers Golf Tournament—
Bongbong arrived early this morning at about 3:40 AM from his date with the Veloso girls (he has been frank with me about what he does on his dates).
We slept with Irene at her room, putting the two beds in her room together, because she cannot sleep in our room.
Then brought Irene to the airport to take at 5:00 the KLM [Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij – Royal Dutch Airlines] jumbo jet for Amsterdam and London. Lucy accompanied her. Alberting [Alberto] and Cobadonga [sic] [Covandonga] Romualddez were in the same plane. Dits Adriano took the plane too, apparently to accompany her.
Sec. [Juan] Ponce Enrile and I finished the materials for any possible proclamation of martial law 6:00-7:30 PM. Then TV-Radio Interview by KBS [Kanlaon Broadcasting System] Rey Pedroche and Emil Jurado 8-9:00 PM.
Interview by the Daily Express Marita Manuel, Tibo Mijares and George _____[?]_.
Dinner while viewing our basketball team being trounced by Russia. Some of the Russians are 7 ft. 1½ inches tall. Our tallest, [Jaime] Mariano is 6’4”.
Then conferred with [Valeriano?] Bueno.
And movies with the guests at the State Dining Room to assuage us in our loneliness as we miss Irene. And Bongbong is out on a date with a Cecilia Revilla.
12:30 PM September 10, 1972[2]
Sunday
It is my birthday. I am 55. And I feel more physically and mentally robust than in the past decade. And have acquired valuable experience to boot.
Energy and wisdom—the philosophers heaven.
Parade and Review—in the rain. I trooped the line in a raincoat and hat. Felt good.
“The freedom that we pledge ourselves to is a native concept of freedom—not an alien one.”
The history of our people shows this. The Philippines was the land of freedom.
So I come to bear witness to the renewal of your pledge to that freedom.
And I am proud to be counted as another soldier who also says—For Freedom, Battle to the Death.
Briefing by Sec. [Juan] Ponce Enrile and Gen. [Fidel] Ramos to the governors, city mayors and municipal mayors.
Organize a mayors league.
Strike Forces and weapons on a case to case basis.
In the afternoon, at 5:00 PM, the National Museum opened its new quarters at the 3rd floor of the Agricultural Bldg. as a birthday gift to me—The Ancient Phllippines—Flora and Fauna up to modem times.
I hope to be able to compile with Imelda an Encyclopedia of Ancient Philippines.
1:40 AM September 11, 1972[3]
Monday
Birthday celebration donated to mass and a meeting with the governors and mayors which has turned out to be tedious. I have barely finished with 38 and will have to meet the rest after the Security Council tomorrow.
But it has been an eventful day. The Meralco [Manila Electric Company] was bombed in two places last night.
Today the Manila Police battled a jeepload of NPAs [New People’s Army], capturing six killing one armed with a carbine five hours after he escaped although another of the escapees armed with Thompson submachine gun is still being hunted and a Sgt. de Guzman of the Manila Police was killed.
Then kidnappers of Tom Aguirre (Banco Filipino) and his son Antonio released them after they paid P1.2 million. The kidnappers were well disciplined, had a basement full of communications and had apparently been successfully kidnapping Chinese for ransom—[Antonio] Tony Roxas Chua’s wife for P1 million, La Suerte owner’s son for the same amount, Chen Banyek and others.
The NPA’s may have raised their funds in this manner.
So there is hysteria in Manila from a bomb and kidnapping scare.
Many false alarms of bombs planted. Telephone warnings like that of The Express—the bomb supposedly set to explode at 10:00 PM. Nothing happened and our bomb disposal units found no sign of explosives.[4]
Open suggestions of martial law.
My best birthday gift was the Library of speeches, pronouncements, orders, tapes, videos, movies, writings of my presidency, organized by Imelda at the 1st floor of Maharlika.
As well as a Rizaliana.
And the Big Antique.
10:55 PM September 12, 1972[5]
Tuesday
Hysteria continues because of the bombings, kidnappings and now the Pandacan battle of the NPA’s [New People’s Army] with the Manila police—2 dead.
Finished working with the governors, city mayors and municipal mayors on their requests at 9:00 after starting at 4:00 PM.
Included conference on Cagayan Valley, Mt. Province specially Isabela, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Ifugao, Cam. [Camarines] Sur, Zamboanga del Sur with Sec. [Juan] Ponce Enrile and Gen. [Fidel] Ramos on the unification of command between Task Force Saranay and Task Force Palanan.
All the mayors of Isabela have promised to cooperate against the subversives and insurgents openly, but they want arms and more soldiers.
Exercised with light barbells (40 pds.), jogged and showered.
This morning I devoted to the National Security Council meeting from 9:45 AM to 1:00 PM.
I asked a written presentation of the expansion, increase in manpower, financial and logistics capability, plans, training, organization of the Communists and Maoists. I asked the quotation of the Tarinsing, Cordon, Isabela claimant which is the communist program of expansion and terrorism and urban guerrilla operations for 1972. I attach copy.
11:30 PM September 13, 1972[6]
Wednesday
Bongbong’s Birthday. Right now they have converted Suite I into a nightclub complete with strobe lights and blown-up pictures of Bongbong.
And there are more girls than boys. In fact there are only a handful of boys and about five times of girls.
At the rate the tension and hysteria in Manila continues, I may have to declare martial law soon. Many people are not leaving their homes.
Threats to bomb and blackmail is rampant. KBS [Kanlaon Broadcasting System] and Daily Express were told to raise P200,000 otherwise there would be a bomb for them. This was conveyed by a certain Policarpio, a KBS labor leader. He probably cooked it up.
So I met with Johnny [Juan] Ponce Enrile, Gen. Tom [Tomas] Diaz, Col. [Alfredo] Montoya, Col. Romy [Romeo] Gatan and Danding [Eduardo] Cojuangco [Jr.] this evening at [Bahay] Pangarap and we agreed to set the 21st of this month as the deadline.
In the meantime Sen. [Benigno] Aquino [Jr.] in a privilege speech, today, claims we have an OPLAN Sagittarius, which allegedly includes a placing of Greater Manila under PC [Philippine Constabulary] control preparatory to proclaiming martial law.
This is nothing but the contingency plan[7] for the coordination of the local police forces and the Armed Forces in case of insurgency.
It is ridiculous to ascribe to it the plan of martial law since it refers to calling out the troops to quell a disorder.
But of course the media will give it all kinds of meaning.
But, again, perhaps it is best that the political opposition start a debate that will get the people used to the idea of emergency powers.
11:50 PM September 14, 1972[8]
Thursday
After golf, at 9:00 AM, at my room at [Bahay] Pangarap while taking breakfast I told the SND [Secretary of National Defense], C of S [Chief of Staff[, Major Service Commanders (Gen. [Fidel] Ramos, PC [Philippine Constabulary], Gen. [Rafael] Zagala, PA [Philippine Army], Gen. [Jose] Rancudo, PAF [Philippine Air Force] and Commodore [Hilario] Ruiz, PN [Philippine Navy]), Gen. [Fabian] Ver and Gen. [Tranquilino] Paranis that I intend to declare martial law to liquidate the communist apparatus, reform our government and society, then have the Concon [Constitutional Convention] ratify our acts and the people confirm it by plebiscite and return to constitutional processes; but that I needed at least one year and two months; that this would be legitimate exercise of my emergency powers under the constitution as clarified under the Habeas Corpus case by the Supreme Court last January; that we needed to cure the ills of our society by radical means (I mentioned national corruption, tax evasion, criminality, smuggling, lack of discipline, unequal opportunities) so we must keep our noses clean and submerge self-interest.
I asked for any objection to the plan and there was none except for the observation of Gen. Ramos that the closing of the media should be done by a civilian minister supported by the military, and Gen. Rancudo who wanted missions definitely assigned to each branch of service
Amb. [Henry] Byroade came to see me after the presentation of credentials by the new Malaysian ambassador.
He left me the Memorandum of Conversation of Marshall Green, Asst. Sec. of State, East Asian and Pacific Affairs and our Amb. Eduardo Romualdez.
I attach copies of the memo.
Then he explained that he kept White House informed weekly of developments here—and that the communist threat is increasing.
We talked of the parity decision, the Lusteveco [Luzon Stevedoring Corporation] decision as well as the other developments against the Americans. He claimed that the US senators had indicated a desire to dismantle the sugar quota.
I told him he might start something that would have no end; and that anyway the sugar industry was ready to lose the quota for the national welfare and sell our sugar in the world market.
I suggested that while we in the Philippines were talking of survival, the Americans were talking of property and profits. And we were not thinking on the same plane.
He said he had heard from other persons that I had said that I could not get through to the State Department. And I confirmed this.
So he explained his [he] reports direct to the White House.
Met the Japanese Parliamentary delegation, decorated with the Datu of the Order of Kalantiao (sic) [Sikatuna] the Grand Chancellor of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Quintin Jermy Gwyn.
And finalized the agreements with the governor and mayors of Isabela:
Unified Command—Gen. Zagala comes back to run the PA.
No evacuation of civilians but civic action.
Mobile check points with policemen included.
Training and arming of chosen policemen but Armed Forces men to be always with them.
Punishment for treachery shall be immediate.
Release of Calamity and Public Works Funds.
[1] Official Gazette for September 9, 1972: THE PRESIDENT constituted a Philippine panel to negotiate a ₱4million loan with New Zealand for the development of the geothermal energy in Leyte. With Chairman and General Manager Ramon Ravanzo of the National power Corporation, as chairman, the others named to the panel were Leyte Governor Benjamin Romualdez, Commissioner Arturo Alcaraz of Volcanology, B. G. Villavicencio of the National Economic Council, and Roque Sorio so, chairman of the committee created to study the development and utilization of geothermal. Among other actions, the President extended executive clemency to 381 prisoners on the occasion of his 55th birth anniversary, upon the recommendation of the Board of Pardons and Parole. The rest of the President’s working hours were spent on paper work.
[2] Official Gazette for September 10, 1972: THE PRESIDENT, on the eve of his 55th birthday, renewed his pledge of loyalty to the Constitution and “to do battle to the death for freedom.” The President made the pledge during the loyalty parade and testimonial review given him by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as President of the Republic and their commander-in-chief. In his extemporaneous speech, the President sounded anew his warning against the communists who “seek by violence to coerce the great majority of our people to forget our traditions and culture.” The President said that while these people cry in the name of freedom, it is not the kind of freedom that the Filipino people love and fight for, but that “it is a strange and alien ideology that is unacceptable to the Filipino way of life.” After delivering his extemporaneous remarks, the President, together with the other guests including members of the Cabinet, the diplomatic corps, the judiciary, and Congress, went to the AFP general headquarters to view the exhibits and take a snack. The President then proceeded to the Officers Clubhouse for a briefing for local executives. During the briefing, the President decided to form provincial defense forces to meet the rising communist insurgency in critical areas. The President made the decision to create provincial defense forces in view of the many requests made by the provincial and other local executives who find themselves virtually defenseless in dealing with subversion, insurgency and criminality. The President also proposed the organization of a municipal mayors’ league similar to the League of Provincial Governors and City Mayors, to promote closer cooperation and collaboration, particularly in meeting peace and order problems. However, the President said, the formation of such defense forces would be on a case-to-case basis and if a strike force should be organized at all it would be composed principally of the armed forces and the local police. The briefing was attended by some 300 governors, city and municipal mayors, delegates to the Constitutional Convention and some members of Congress. Back in Malacañang in the afternoon, the President, on recommendation of the Board of Pardons and Parole, extended executive clemency to 232 more prisoners in connection with his 55th birth anniversary.
[3] Official Gazette for September 11, 1972: THE PRESIDENT observed his 55th birth anniversary in conferences with provincial, city, municipal and barrio officials who converged at Malacañang from all over the country to greet him. The President held separate conferences with the delegations on how local governments could participate more effectively in the rehabilitation of the nation’s economy following the recent droughts and destructive floods. In allocating funds for such province, city or municipality, the President gave priority to ravaged areas and on the rehabilitation of roads, bridges, schoolbuildings, irrigation, flood control and projects designed to increase the nation’s agricultural productivity. Earlier in the morning, the President and the First Lady heard Mass said by Msgr. Amado Paulino, auxiliary bishop of Manila and parish priest of Tondo. Also at the Mass wore their son Bongbong, ranking officials of the executive, legislative and judiciary branches of the government, close relatives, and friends. Among the first to greet the President following the Mass were Vice President and Mrs. Fernando Lopez, followed by members of Congress headed by Speaker Cornelio T. Villareal, the judiciary led by Chief Justice Roberto Concepcion, the Cabinet headed by Secretary of Foreign Affairs Carlos P. Romulo and the diplomatic corps led by Msgr. Carmine Rocco, papal nuncio. In the traditional exchange of toasts with members of the diplomatic corps, Msgr. Rocco, dear, of the group, said that in rallying to the assistance of the Philippines during the floods, the nations of the world had shown increasing brotherhood and understanding among themselves. In his response, the President offered a prayer for peace, “not only in this country or in our part of the world but universal peace.” He added: “May there always be amity, friendship among peoples that it can be said: Mar has organized a single human family.” The President also inaugurated a library containing a collection of speeches, pronouncements, photo albums, newspaper clippings, magazines, films and tapes on the Marcos year. The Library, which was put up in one of the ground floor rooms of the old executive building, was the First Lady’s birthday gift to the President. After the inauguration, the President went up to the second floor of the building where the provincial, city, municipal and barrio officials were briefed, on the extent of damage wrought by the recent droughts and floods, and the progress made on rehabilitation work. The President’s conferences with provincial governors, city mayors and barrio officials lasted from 11 a.m. to late in the evening.
[4] Th is and succeeding paragraphs in the Transcript are from a missing last page of this entry p.2307 .
[5] Official Gazette for September 12, 1972: THE PRESIDENT presided over a meeting of the National Security Council at Camp Aguinaldo, in the course of which he ordered the military to make continuing assessment of communist activities in order to be prepared for any action that is necessary to uphold the law and protect the lives and property of the citizenry. During the three-hour meeting, the military asked for the coordination and cooperation of all elements of society. The President told the press in an interview, following the NSC meeting, that “it is baseless and ridiculous to blame the government for the series of bombing incidents in the Greater Manila area because when he suspended the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus last year, he was sustained by the Supreme Court, and there was no need for him to prepare the minds of the people for the proclamation of martial law by instigating such bombings.” Present at the meeting were Vice President Fernando Lopez, Speaker Cornelio T. Villareal, Senate President Protempore Jose J. Roy, Senate Majority Floorleader Arturo Tolentino, Minority Floorleader Gerardo Roxas, House Majority Floorleader Marcelino Veloso, Reps. Nicanor Y. Yñiguez and Constantino Navarro; Secretaries Vicente Abad Santos of Justice, Carlos P. Romulo of Foreign Affairs; Juan Ponce Enrile of National Defense, Arturo Tanco of Agriculture and Natural Resources; Executive Secretary Alejandro Melchor, Press Secretary Francisco S. Tatad, Defense Undersecretary Jose Crisol, Finance Undersecretary Pedro Almanzor; Director Jolly Bugarin of the National Bureau of Investigation; Ismael Lapuz, chief of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency; the chiefs of commands headed by General Romeo Espino and Maj. Gen. Rafael Ileto, AFP chief of staff and vice-chief of staff, respectively; Mayors Ramon Bagatsing of Manila and Pablo Cuneta of Pasay City; Quezon City chief of police Tomas Karingal; Pedro Reyes representing Rizal Governor Isidro Rodriguez; Mayors Emiliano Caruncho of Pasig, Renato Lopez of Mandaluyong, Osmundo de Guzan of Marikina, Felipe del Rosario of Navotas, and Monico Tanyag of Taguig; Vice Mayor Johnny Wilson of Makati, and Chiefs of Police Gerry Tamayo of Manila, Ruperto Akle of Makati and Filoteo Quintana of Pateros, Rizal. The President had a short rest in the afternoon, and then worked on official papers till early evening.
[6] Official Gazette for September 13, 1972: THE PRESIDENT received former Ambassador Saburo Ohba, chairman of the Pacific Area Travel Association and president of the Japanese National Trade Organization, who called on him to pay his respects following his arrival in Manila. During their brief meeting, the President expressed the hope that the Philippines and Japan would continue to cooperate in the development of the tourist trade. Mr. Ohba and his party, including H. Suzuki and K. Kobata, directors of the Japanese National Trade Organization in Tokyo and Hongkong, respectively, were accompanied to Malacañang by Jose Cobarrubias, president-general manager of Hotel Filipinas and PTTA vice-president; and Salvador Peña, PTTA executive director. The President also received Mr. and Mrs. Cyril Brooks of the Brethren Missionaries, and their children. The Brooks called on the President to extend birthday wishes. The President congratulated them and expressed the wish that they would complete another 50 years stay among the Filipino people. Early in the evening, the President was interviewed by newsmen covering Malacañang.
[7] Plan drawn up by AFP Chief of Staff Romeo Espino in August 1972. Scalice , 748/
[8] Official Gazette for Septembe r 14, 1972: The President conferred the Ancient Order of Sikatuna , rank of datu , on Quintin Jermy Gwyn, grand chancellor of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, for his extraordinary services in the filed of international relations. In accepting the award, Gwyn said he was accepting the decoration because it symbolized the friendly relations which had existed for many years between the Philippines and the Military Order of Malta.“I need not assure, Mr. President,” he said, “that what we had begun, we will continue with and develop always, the fundamental purpose of which is contained in the simple instructions which our founder gave us in the 11th century for the sick and the poor.” Present at the ceremony were Minister Jose Soriano of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Gabriel Daza, Sebastian Ugarte, Jose Zaragoza, Danny Vasquez and Ernesto Lagdameo, former ambassador to the United States. After the award ceremony, the President received the credentials of Datu Ahmad Zainal Abidin bin Mohamed Yusof as the new ambassador of Malaysia to the Philippines. The new ambassador, in presenting his credentials, noted that the fruitful cooperation and understanding between Malaysia and the Philippines contributed to the strengthening of the hope and aspiration for peace, stability, and progress in the region. In response, the President said that his administration has always been dedicated to the pursuit of peace and the policy of closer cooperation among nations, as manifested by its wholehearted support of the concept of ASEAN regional cooperation and the efforts toward securing a zone of peace, freedom and neutrality for the region. The President took occasion to express the gratitude of the Filipino people for the material and financial aid which Malaysia extended to the flood victims. Among those present were Acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs Jose. D. Ingles, Secretary of General Services Constancio Castañeda, Press Secretary Francisco S. Tatad, Executive Secretary Alejandro Melchor, Jr. and Secretary of Agrarian Reform Conrado Estrella. After the presentation ceremony, the President received four visiting members of the House of Representatives of Japan, who paid their respects following their arrival enroute home from the capitals of Southeast Asian countries. Headed by Kichiro Tazawa, the group included Saburo Eda, Michio Furukawa and Akira Ueda. In receiving the Japanese solons, the President expressed gratitude to the Japanese government and people for the generous donations extended to typhoon and flood victims, and the loans extended by the Japanese government for economic development projects, such as the project and commodity loans, and the rice purchases on deferred payment terms at low rates of interest. The President requested the Japanese lawmakers to extend the appreciation and gratitude of the Filipino people to the Japanese Prime Minister, and the government and people of Japan. Tazawa expressed the hope that friendly relations between his country and the Philippines would continue to grow and pledged that he and his colleagues would exert their utmost towards this end, especially, he said, since “I am convinced that our friendship will enhance the peace and prosperity of Asia.” In reply, the President expressed the hope that more Japanese parliamentarians and government officials, as well as tourist, would come to the Philippines where, contrary to the prevailing impression in Japan, they are always welcome.