MALACAÑAN PALACE
Manila
10:00 PM
February 5; 1971
Friday
Felixberto Olalia alleges in a Chronicle story that he was sent on an unofficial mission to Red China, by Executive Secretary Alex Melchor, to find out under what conditions Red China would accept diplomatic relations with us. Of course the alleged conditions are as onerous as severing ties with the U.S, etc.
I did not know about this alleged mission of Olalia.
I attach the explanation of Alex Melchor.
I am sure that Ambassadors Byroade and Pichi Sun would be interested in the details of this.
Today seems to be quieter than yesterday. But S.P Lopez, according to the papers, admitted yesterday that the activists were in control of the UP. – before the House Committee on Education.
And observers, including Bulletin, say that a second government is in control in Manila. It is the government of the streets as they do not allow any vehicles to enter certain areas of the city.
After playing golf with Maj. Gen. Espino, the Vice Chief of Staff, at 9:00 AM I met with the Sec. of National Defense, Gen. Yan, Gen. Ordoñez and Gen. Ramos on the situation.
They agreed with me that ultimately the Metrocom and other AFP forces will be asked to take over in the UP and other universities; that there will be a lull of several days or a week but that the radicals will not be content with a moral victory but will go for some more objectives.
So Gen. Ordoñez will now prepare a plan for the fast clean take over of the university and the arrest of the subversives if and when the Quezon City local authorities and the University administration formally requests help to root out the radicals from the campus.
The same thing holds true of the other universities or areas that may be equally affected.
We also expect the subversives to implement their plan for massive sabotage not only in the city but in the other parts of the country.
The moment there should be massive sabotage, then must I make the decision whether to declare martial law or not. And the decision will be irreversible.
3,000 baby trawler fishermen (actually using small bancas) held their demonstration in Navotas and kept away the radical elements by policing their own ranks. They asked to be permitted to continue trawling in Manila Bay which is objected to by the small fishermen (also sustenance fishermen) who claim trawl fishing destroys marine
life.
Sec. Bung Tanco went to meet them.
We have agreed that the baby trawlers should continue fishing only on the Bulacan-Rizal side until they can be given stronger motors of 20 to 40 horsepower by better financing when they will be limited to the middle of the bay more than seven fathoms (42 ft. at 6 ft. a fathom) deep in accordance with RA 3840.
I met with Father de la Costa, Chitang Guerrero Nakpil, Abe Cruz, Leo Virata and Bung Tanco on the implementation of the programs of the “Democratic Revolution.”
We were all agreed that the employment program on the cottage-industry level but with control financing, management, quality control and exports should be supervised and actually run by Ting Paterno – with a joint-venture of the private sector and the government.
Housing should be supervised by Ting Rojas.
I have been helping Imelda put lyrics to her composition – “Philippine Welcome -Mabuhay.”