MALACAÑAN PALACE
Manila
12:15 AM
April 16, 1970
Malacañang Palace
I have the highest hopes for the Magalang Project to raise the standard of living of the peasants in Central Luzon. I will build infrastructures for them with the veterans of PHILCAG. I will protect them with the Home Defense Forces. This is the secret to peace and order in Central Luzon – the villagers defending their own homes. I understand from Liberal Congressman-elect Sanga of the 2nd district of Pampanga, 3/4 of the legal cadres in Pampanga have been driven away by the HDF units organizing alone. The villagers know who the communists are.
I shall spread this idea all over the Philippines and into the cities by encouraging first the registration of guns then the training of the men who carry or possess them. Then defense for each block or building in a city can be built up by the Week-End Soldier concept.
Tomorrow Imelda starts her Tulungan project in Tondo. It is principally jobs, housing, food and medicines. I have given the people the land titles. But we make them work for these and help themselves. This is also a pilot project for slums and depressed areas.
Just a little hope for those in despair and we have the communists running.
But yesterday I stood firm on the jeepney drivers’ strike and ordered the Metrocom to arrest any of the drivers violating the law and the strikers backed down. There was no violence and no disruption of transportation.
Today I had lunch with Ka Erdie Manalo after I settled the SIS demonstrations. Received plenty of intelligence from the most unlikely sources.