MALACAÑAN PALACE
Manila
11:00 PM
Jan. 17, 1971
Sunday
Meralco, thru Emilio Abello, issued yesterday a statement claiming the President was wasting his time on insignificant matters apparently referring to my fight on the oligarchy.
The labor groups invited into a common front with Bert Oca of Pinagbuklod and Tony Policarpio answered it today with the statement that the matter of prices raised by Meralco rates and monopolies or pressure groups are not insignificant and affect millions of people.
I directed, in writing, the Dept. of Justice, Solicitor General and Public Service Commission to study the reopening of the question of Meralco rates. We discovered that the motion for reconsideration of the Solicitor General supposed to be acted upon in banc was never resolved by the Public Service Commission and therefore, there is no final judgment that can be appealed to by the Supreme Court. Then again the question of fact as to the alleged excessive income of the Maralco on the basis of the new dates should be decided by the Public Service Commission now that these rates have been collected actually by Meralco.
So the Public Service Commission, tomorrow, orders the Auditor General to continue the unfinished audit of the books of Meralco and to further determine the actual income under the new rates.
Additional pledges of support in the fight against the oligarchs continue to pour in. The Market Vendors’ Association under Poly Cayetano (20,000 strong) came this afternoon to offer support.
Governor Cipriano Primicias of Pangasinan came to explain how he has issued a statement that while he is neutral in the fight between the President and Lopez, the continuous and unbridled attack on the President by the Chronicle and the ABS-CBN shows that it is guided by one hand. It also shows the existence of an empire within the republic which answers to no one no matter what abuses they commit while the President is accountable to the people.
He is calling the Directorate of the Governor’s League (30 members) to act on a resolution of support.
And Gov. Conrado Estrella called back to say he has been working on the farmer groups to obtain resolutions of support.
Tomorrow, the congressmen’s resolution will be signed.
But the Lopez camp is talking of impeachment.