Imee and Irene left by Quantas at 7:30 PM to arrive in London by 5:50 PM tomorrow, Manila time. It seems only yesterday that they arrived on their holiday.
Last night we slept, at the boat after the party for the two birthday celebrants Bongbong and Irene. Finished a book on the French Revolution and Marie Antoinette up to 4:30 AM, woke up at 8:30 AM and went water-skiing up to 10:00 AM.
We were at the Limay Esso pier at 11:00 AM but the program which we held on board because of the mud in the NPC [National Power Corporation] Thermal Plant compound (it rained hard but stopped when we arrived thus further propagating the story of my anting-anting) finished the program at about 1:30 PM. We were on the way back at about 2:30 PM.
I spoke of the Dilemma of the Third World which I propose to entitle my second book—as the violation of the fundamental principle never to fight on two fronts. For while I had suspended the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus for the security of our Republic, we must just as urgently proceed with the development program notwithstanding the scarcity of our resources. And power or its generations and distribution is one of its basic aspects.
For we inaugurated the 75,000 kw Thermal Plant and at the same time laid the
Official Gazette for September 9, 1971: President Marcos, together with the First Lady, Imelda R. Marcos and some government officials, boarded the RPS Ang Pangulo m the morning for Limay, Bataan for the commissioning of the Bataan Thermal Plant of the National Power Corporation. However, the commissioning ceremonies, which were supposed to be held at the BTP compound, had to be scrapped when the RPS Ang Pangulo was delayed and a heavy downpour disrupted preparations made in the compound. The ceremonies were held instead on board the presidential yacht,, which docked at the ESSO pier at 12:30 p.m.
While the ship was maneuvering, a huge crowd which had gathered at the wharf waved at the President and the First Lady, who were later joined by daughters Imee and Irene, and sang happy birthday songs. The chiefs of diplomatic missions, members of the Cabinet, NPC officials and employees and other officials led by Gov. and Mrs. Guillermo Arcenas Rep Pablo Roman, Mayor and Mrs. F. Roxas Chairman and Mrs Manuel Barretto and General Manager and Mrs. Ramon Ravanzo boarded theRPS Ang Pangulo for the commissioning ceremonies.
In his brief speech, the President said the completion of the thermal plant proved that while the Philippines has succeeded in insuring its security, it was also moving forward in social and economic development. He said that the failure of attempts at subversion in the country was not So much to the strength of the military as it is to the fundamental acceptance by the program of development he enunciated in 1965. The President also announced:
1. The release of 12 million for the completion of the infrastructure projects in the Foreign Trade Zone in Mariveles; 2. The release of funds for the completion of the Bataan-Manila highway; and 3. The conduct of studies on the proposed coastal road linking Manila with the Foreign Trade Zone in Mariveles and the reclamation of portions of Manila Bay for the purpose.
Following his speech, the President signed into law a bill amending the charter of the National Power Corporation by increasing the ceiling of its borrowings to $200 million, to give new life and strength to the NPC.
The President then sailed back for Manila, arriving in Malacañang at past 4 p.m.
After a brief rest, the President buckled down to paper work till early evening.
cornerstone of the next Thermal Plant of 150,000 kw.
And the demand for electricity increases 20% annually in areas outside Manila or a need of a doubling of our power generations every four years.
So the second book will have to develop both the military requirements and the development requisites of every developing country with the Philippines as the example.