Office of the President
of the Philippines
Malacañang
Mar 9, 1970\
Monday
11:30 PM
The first case of subversion under RA 1700 has been filed against Leoncio Co caught in Talaga, Capas, Tarlac in a raid of the military. He is the former Sec. Gen. of the Kabataang Makabayan against whom former Huks have testified that he is one of the high ranking officers of the new Communist Party.
I have directed Sec. Ponce Enrile and Gen. Tanabe to get the witnesses against the Kabataang Makabayan leaders who are actually with the Communist Party and prepare the legal cases against them.
We will now shift to the legal phase of the struggle until the communists use violence requiring the use of my extraordinary powers.
At the same time we are now utilizing the propaganda facilities of the government. We will publish a Government Record or Report on our positions on issues that are being distorted by the Manila Times and the Manila Chronicle. This weekly will be distributed to all offices and schools. Johnny Tuvera will edit it.
We are also using TV and radio, harnessing all our friendly commentators.
I have asked O.D. Corpus to organize a think tank of constructive thinkers in the schools on subversion, counter-subversion and liberal democracy.
The military operations in Tarlac are doing very well. Called up Gen. Tanabe to congratulate him and his boys. The nephew of Dante was killed with some others. Others were captured.
I still feel that my greatest contribution to the country will still be saving it from communism. It would be easy to adopt palliatives and delay the confrontation with this deadly peril. But this would be the easy way out. After my term and within the decade or the next the nation would have to confront it anyway. And I would have been guilty of dereliction of duty if not cowardice for not facing up to it and rooting it out while I had the opportunity and the power.
So I am decided that I must risk even the future of my family so as to save our freedoms and individual dignity. The issue has become this simple and brutal. It is a matter of survival. It is a matter of daring or not –on my part. And I decide to dare.