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Friday, September 29, 1972

“Bakit nasa labas ka pa?” some people at the External Affairs Committee greeted me half jokingly, half fearfully.

Nene Pimentel was particularly feeling close to me. He felt that he was probably next in line to be taken into custody. He kept saying that somehow we would get in touch. He was in a dilemma as he did not know whether to go home to Cagayan de Oro or to stay in Manila. This dilemma was heightened by the fact that some 20 minutes earlier, he had met Tony Alano who told him that he has seen in the list kept by Babes Navarro at the Con-Con, Nene’s name, Rebeck’s and mine.

I proceeded to my doctor, Dr. Steve Pineda, to ask him to give me the next series of medicines that I have to take for my ulcerative colitis because of the possibility that I, too, might soon be arrested. Although Enrile had said that I should not worry, I felt I should nevertheless be prepared for the worst.

I proceeded to the Congressional Economic Planning Office (CEPO) afterwards. I am still unofficially an economic adviser to Joe Romero’s CEPO—chairman of his economic advisory board, in fact, with Teodoro Peña, Jaime Laya, Conrado Pascual and Gregorio Con-con as my members.

A meeting was going on. The staff members were discussing what to do next. They decided that, under the circumstances, CEPO need not disband until after they shall have been asked to do so by the leadership of the House of Representatives.

From the CEPO, I went to Rebeck and told him that according to Nene, he too, was in the list.

Rebeck was taken by surprise and was palpably discouraged.

We both thought that there is a possibility that these are only rumors. How could Enrile be so reckless as to give out several lists? Nevertheless, it would be necessary to check the matter. He was going to phone Tony Alano.

I am quite grateful to God that so far, I have been safe.