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January 30, 1970, Friday

Office of the President

of the Philippines

Malacañang

January 30, 1970, Friday

4:00 PM

Still very quiet. The Kabataang Makabayan has been able to muster only about a hundred demonstrators before Malacañang. To cover up their inadequate number, they have gone to Congress where the NUSP under Jopson and the NSL have a more impressive number. Ollera has alerted Gargaritano. There is a congressional hearing at 3:00 PM. At six o’clock the leaders come to Malacañang for a conference.

I continued the dialogue with the students – this time from CLSU, with the various student leaders like Jose Sayson, this morning.

1:00AM Jan 31st –The Ma-Maos and Dante Kabataang Makabayan are leading the rioting outside.

The riot is still going on but the Metrocom under Col. Ordoñez and Aguilar after reinforcement by one company of the PC under Gen. Raval arrived have pushed up to Mendiola near San Beda where the MPD were held in reserve. I hear shooting and I am told that the MPD have been firing in the air.

The rioters have been able to breach Gate 4 and I had difficulty to stop the guards from shooting the rioters down. Specially as when Gate 3 was threatened also. I received a call from Maj. Ramos for permission to fire and my answer was “Permission granted to fire your water hoses.”

So no shooting inside the Malacañang compound. Otherwise it would have been a massacre.