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January 19, 1970

Malacañang

Manila

Veterans Memorial Hospital

January 19, 1970

Imelda is strong enough to play host to her crowd nightly. We have just eaten Chinese lugao and lumpia brought in by Joe and Betty Campos. I liked most the bajo or powdered beef tapa and the seeweed for the lumpia. It is now 11:00 PM. Last night we went to bed at 11:30 PM. Read De Gaulle’s war memoirs up to 1:30 P.M. after writing my diary.

I must soon write my war memoirs while the events are still fresh in my mind.

Met with the fiscal policy committee at 8:00 AM here in the hospital and gave instructions to Com. Sychangco and Gov. Licaros to reconcile the figures on government deficits. The Central Bank has the figures at P1.1 billion cash deficit. Com. Sychangco says the cash deficit is only P600 million with savings of P283 million.

I have also ordered Gov. Licaros to put down in a formal Aide Memoire to be handed to the IMF consultative committee our position that we will not agree to a devaluation and will take any measures short of it; — and to include the stabilization measures we have adopted including the allowance of the establishment of dollar accounts in Philippine banks with 100% dollar backing and to allow hotels to keep 25% of their dollar earnings because right now the dollar earnings of hotels has gone down to zero.

I met with Piding Montelibano, who was brought to Pangarap by Bobby Benedicto. He has just recovered from the flu which is all over Europe and Asia.

[Marginal note: We must now develop rural electrification under the new law passed last year and Schools of Arts and Trades. The British Ambassador who came to say goodbye also seems to agree these will bring about development faster.]

Incidentally Col. Ver reports to me that Terry Adevoso, the mastermind of the assassination and military takeover of the government informed the conferees of the Junta in their meeting at the house of Commodore Alcaraz that the Vice President or the Lopez group has its own liquidation plot for me. I must look into this more deeply.

I intend to have the EEA cases filed against Adevoso and Emmanuel Ocampo his operations man to keep them occupied. But at the same time we must obtain evidence for the filing of a case of conspiracy to commit treason. Apparently included in the plot is Col. Patterson, the U.S. Embassy military attaché, or so Adevoso says. Terry Adevoso said that he spoke to Ambassador Byroade about their plot and while the Ambassador was defending me he said that if he (Adevoso) had anything to ask or tell him, he (Adevoso) should talk to Patterson. Adevoso said that it was Patterson who suggested that Ayala and Nagtahan Bridges should be blown up so as to isolate Malacañang Palace during the attack.

Included in the plot are Alcaraz, David Pelayo, Capt. Acosta of the Navy.

Their target date is June or July this year.