Office of the President
of the Philippines
Malacañang
February 8, 1970
Sunday
11:15 PM–
I have sworn in the new cabinet members during my speech before the Constitutional Convention members during the cocktail for them at 5:00 PM at the reception hall except for the new Executive Secretary, Alex Melchor whom I swore in the evening at 7:10 when Iñing Lopez and Nanding, Heny Lopez and the Chronicle and ABS-CBN staff came to have dinner with us.
Iñing was very touchy, even arrogant, Heny was non-committal and IP Soliongco kept reapeating that nothing would be the same again and that we would have to listen to the voice of the students as this was the voice of the people.
I kept repeating to Ernie Granada that he should not push me to Byroade and the Americans.
It is my feeling that the Lopezes are going to do their best to undermine against us.
Met with Tony Pastalero brought by Angel Concepcion, former secretary of Sen. Camilo Osias, as well as Fernando (Gerry) Barican this noon for lunch with the first and the latter at 4:00 PM. They both promised to stop the talk about my resignation after I convinced them that if I were not around the military would take over. This is apparently feared by everyone including them.
Barican today has warned of a take over by the Jesuit-Fascist-CIA combine.
We really should warn our people of this. But today I met also with the Jesuit novices who want to be strengthened by my granting their demands (of the NUSP). I agreed to this to widen the split between them (the moderates) and the radicals.