8:45 PM
2262
Aug 25, 1972
Friday
Malacañan Palace
Manila
The children have a party for 20 with Kimpura food at Pangarap. Imelda is with them and I am above at the State Dining Room watching the movie Eye of the Hurricane while writing my diary. (Imelda just arrived)
Just finished all the paper work that has piled up with the urgency of the calamity and with the third congressional special session about to and on the 1st of September. We have to prepare some compromise bills in a hurry –- on public works to include reconstruction and the authority to borrow, tariff, tax on cigarettes, removal of exemptions and subsidies, amendment of the special highway fund law etc.
This morning I inspected the cemetery at Mendiola, covered Rizal, J. Abad Santos and M. H. de Pilar – after golf where I scored one under par.
At 12:30 AM I met the Director Bugarin of the NBI, Cong. Cojuangco and Adrian Cristobal.
Col. Bugarin reported the results of the investigations on CAA illegal contracts (The Contact Construction for Teletype machines:Overpriced and second hand), no unit losses on the Cueto killing by Yabut’s police, the dollars confiscated in the airport should be forfeited, in drugs there is raw intelligence connecting Cong. Baduya, Teves and to a heroin refining center in this area I directed continued surveillance and investigation.
Cong. Cojuangco came to inform me of his success in getting a contract for 40,000 tons of rice from Red China, bartered for cement. I am encouraging barter for rice from Red China so that we do not spend any of our much needed dollars.
Adrian Cristobal came to show me a paper on the ideology of the Free Farmers Federation and their ideologies, the Lakasdiwa headed by former seminarian Ed Garcia (they call father).
Looks sophomoric. But attacks for both Maoism and Capitalism. And can be used as a basis for study for an acceptable ideology and program of government.
I place it in Envelope No. XXXIV-C.
This afternoon I met with the congressional leaders, Sen. Pres. Puyat, Senate Floor Leader Tolentino, Sen. Teves, Acting Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee Speaker Villareal and House Floor Leader Marcelino Veloso. The Senate wants to adjourn after the Tariff and Customs, Code and the tax on cigarettes is approved – to meet in the regular session next January. The House wants the Public Works bill, the amendment of RA 917 at least approved also before adjournment. We are trying to get them to continue working for at least a week more. Specially since there is no money for the calamity appropriations and no authority, for borrowing abroad. The Foreign Borrowing Act, RA 6142 limits me to borrowing for projects provided for by law (specially the public works act) and no existing public works act authorizes the reconstruction projects nor some of the on-going projects – ergo we cannot borrow for them.
Thus, there would be no money or cash for the Reconstruction or Rehabilitation Program.
And Congress which is supposed to be controlled by our party would be open to the changes of indolence and impotence to meet the crisis occasioned by the floods.
The rest of the world is helping to rehabilitate us. But Congress wants to adjourn and go junketing abroad – the UN, the APU, and conferences that are convenient excuses for a visit to the flesh pots of America and Europe.