MALACAÑAN PALACE
Manila
1:01 PM
December 1. 1972
Friday
10:00 a.m. — Formal turnover of the proposed constitution for a call to a plebiscite which I set by decree on January 15, 1973.
Order on Free Debate.
Release of Media men and Concon delegates not directly charged with subversion.
Tumult from the audience which included the Vice President, senators, congressmen, concon delegates, cabinet, justices of the Supreme Court and others.
Before that I called the Vice Pres., Sen. Pres., Speaker, Chief Justice, Pres. Macapagal, Chairman Ferrer, Sec. Ponce Enrile and Gen. Espino to my study to tell them of my plan of free debate and for government to print the pros and cons of each innovation in the new constitution for distribution which then would be distributed to the
people. Speaker Villareal demurred to this but Chief Justice Concepcion supported me.
Even if the decree on plebiscite should be questioned by Tañada as he is reported to have planned, I believe that the order on free debate will stop it’s being filed in the first place and if it is, the Supreme Court would not entertain it.