Government Report

Media

Part of Government Report

Title: Government Report
Issue Date: Volume II (No. 26) September 13, 1971
Year: 1971
Language: English
Rights
extracted text: FM Signs Amendatory Bills On Land Reform A ntonio Hits Media On Memo Distortion VOL. II NO. 26 MANILA, PHILIPPINES MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1971 Today’s Revolution: Solicitor General Felix Q. Antonio observed that certain misinterpretations crept into the press and mass media reports on the memorandum submitted by the State counsel, in compliance with the order of the Supreme Court, on the several petitions for the writ of habeas corpus pending before the high tribunal. He noted that some of the reports concerning the contents of the State memorandum and other documents annexed to it were grossly misleading and un warranted. He pointed out that there is nothing in the memorandum and its documentary annexes from which it could be reasonably inferred that the State counsel and the military authorities ever attempted or even intended to make blanket and indiscriminate NO MORE ‘PILA’ RCA Evolves System Of Rice Distribution Rice in Greater Manila is now sold through well-organized chan nels, thus eliminating the unsight ly “pila” system, J. D. Drilon, Jr., Chairman-General Manager of the Rice and Corn Adminis tration, reported to President Marcos recently. Drilon said that the systema tic way of selling rice was evolved by RCA when it organized some 130 organized retailer groups in to a well-knit machinery, thus dispensing with some 1,600 indivi dual retailers through which rice was distributed before. With supply channels operat ing smoothly, Drilon said, there is now a greater volume of rice being fed into the markets, ad ding that with rice retailers bet ter organized, even the rolling rice stores may soon be de activated. Under the new distribution accusations against certain indi viduals and organizations in or der to justify before the Su preme Court the suspension of the privilege of the writ of ha-' beas corpus. Some of the press reports, it appeared, conveyed the erro neous impression that the list of various individuals and organiza tions furnished by the defense department was being used by the State lawyers in an effort to convince the Court that these in dividuals and groups mentioned in the military’s list are subver sive elements and communist fronts. The Solicitor General stressed that both the memorandum and its annexes show that the infe rences made in certain press quarters seriously distorted the (Turn to page 4) scheme the RCA has adopted, each of the organized markets of Greater Manila has an RCA inspector assisted by a PC cons table to oversee the delivery of RCA rice to the markets and its proper sale. To ensure a continuous sup ply of rice, major exits to the provinces from Manila are guard ed by PC checkpoints, Drilon said. In asserting that rice distribu tion in Manila is under control, Drilon also observed that rice retailers now have an opportu nity to participate in the rice stabilization program with a high er sense of responsibility. Ulti mately, he said, they will be able to police themselves, thus dis pensing with conventional police services. Drilon said that the distribu(Turn to page 7) Thousands Witness Ceremony Before thousands of farmers led by the Federation of Free Farmers, President Marcos signed into law Friday last week the bills creating a Department of Agrarian Reform and providing for an immediate source of funds to finance the Agrarian Reform Program of the government. The President told the farmers who filled the Palace grounds that although the funds he sought to make knd reform a more meaningful program were not enough, it would keep land reform going until next year when Congress meets to consider a more substantial funding of the important undertaking. The President said that as long as he is President, he will not stop until land reform in this country has become a meaning ful social and economic factor to ensure the well-being of the people. (Turn to page 7) LAND REFORM BILLS. - President Marcos signs into laws Senate Bill No. 478 (House Bill No. 3453) provi ding omnibus amendments to the Agricultural Land Reform Code (R.A. 3844), and Senate Bill No. 633 (House Bill No.3463) providing for an Agrarian Land Reform Special Fund, in the presence of thousands of cheering farmers, including delegations from the Agricultural Cooperative League of the Philippine (ACLP) and the Federation of Farmers led by its president, Jeremias Montemayor. Among those shown during the signing of the bills are the First Lady, Mrs. Imelda Romualdez Marcos; Senators Mamintal Tamaño and Emmanuel Pelaez, Speaker Cornelio T. Villareal, Land Authority Governor Conrado Estrella, congressmen, provincial governors, and city and municipal mayors. Democracy9 E President Marcos has written I at length on the principle, long B advocated by him, that governI ment can, and should, initiate | revolution. E In a 117-page book, “Today’s 1 Revolution: Democracy,” the H President expounds on the thesis that “democracy and revolution are inseparable,” and that vio lence as a means of obtaining the radical change that present society needs is both “ineffective and undesirable.” (See excerpts below. -- Ed.) The book, which came off the Excerpts TWO FACTIONS The “revisionists” or the Moscow-oriented faction seems to have adopted the parliamentary form of struggle, using infiltration and every legal means, including participation in elections and the manipulation of front organizations and media, to achieve its ends. The Maoist faction, on the other hand, although it is not inexpert in the use of media and front organizations, lays great emphasis on violence, ancl now terrorism. These two factions are divided in their approaches to the capture of state power. They are irreconciliable. But both are dedicated to the establishment of a totalitarian political order. These factions, as I have noted, are expert in the use, or manipula tion, of media. Their vocabulary has been adopted even by people who know next to nothing about either communism or revolution. In some reformist enclaves, it has even become fashionable to consort with these revolutionaries. “Revolutionary,” in fact, is now an “in” word. REVOLUTION FROM THE CENTER An intellectual attachment to old political categories will find in the idea of a government-initiated revolution a contradiction in term. A government, according to the old wisdom, cannot make revolution (Túm to page 8) was press earlier last week, launched last Saturday on the E occasion of the President’s 54th II birthday anniversary. || The President said it took a « year of frequently interrupted writing to complete the book, ¿ which he started some months ¿ after the violent demonstrations || of January 26 and January 30 9 last year. fl The book comes in a limited edition of 1,000 copies. The President is reported contempla ting a second edition, to be printed abroad for mass distri(Turn topage 7) 2 Government Report, Monday, September 13, 1971 FOREST CONSERVATION Non-Commercial Species Of Trees Very Valuable Tanco Creates Body To Oversee Project Forest conservation, a pet pro ject of the Marcos Administra tion, may soon get a boost with the creation by Agriculture Sec retary Arturo R. Tanco, Jr. of a tri-agency planning and evalua tion committee which will work towards effecting a harmonious and coordinated application of pertinent laws, policies and prac tices on reforestation and the* conservation and rational utiliza tion of national parks and pub lic forests. Tanco said that the commit tee pools the expertise of the Reforestation Administration, Bureau of Forestry, Parks and Wildlife and the private sector. It will initiate moves leading to the major revamp of govern ment policies on forests. FAITH IN THE MILITARY. - President Marcos was informed early last week that peace and order conditions in Lanao del Norte have improved considerably with the restoration of the people's confidence in the ability of the PC to maintain order in their province. Photo shows the President giving instructions to Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan, Fourth PC Zone Commander (left) and Brig. Gen. Eduardo M. Garcia, PC Chief on further improving the situation in the area. Evacuees have returned to their homes by droves after causes of tension were removed and on the promise of sincere government efforts to resettle them. A regional symposium on timber and timber products re search that would greatly contri bute to President Marcos’s plan to stimulate further growth of the wood industries in the coun try may be held in Manila in the near future. Asian countries which have indicated an interest in the sym posium are Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singa pore, and India. The committee, which started to function at the beginning of this month, is headed by Primo Andres of the Reforestation Ad ministration. Other members of the tri-agency committee are Doroteo U. Antonio, vice chair man; Honorato Esteves (RA), Feliciano C. Salamatin (BF), Rosalio Goze (BF), Marcelina A. Dayao (BF) and Irene Florenda (BF). The committee is also charged with the following responsibili ties: 1) Prepare long-range and annual programs of work; 2) undertake economic, organiza tion and management research relative to forest land manage ment and forest industry devel opment; 3) guide the preparation of multiple-use plans for public forests; 4) establish criteria and standards of performance; S) evaluate through a system of field inspection, the quality and quan tity of performance as measured against established policies, goals and standards; 5) recommend changes in laws^ regulations, po licies and procedures as needed to achieve agency objectives; and 6) maintain agency manuals. Only 100 out of more than U 3,500 tree species in the country H reach the market. The rest are \ often left untouched in the i forests either because they don’t I seem to have any economic value || or people just do not know how I to use them for commercial pur5 poses. Sad but true. And yet there II may be a hidden treasure in II them, which could provide add| itional foreign exchange for the || national coffers. But really it is not that sad K because the government under k the present administration is all| ready doing something about them. At present, the Forest 6 Products Research Institute and IK Development Commission (FORB PRIDECOM) has gathered enough B information on these tree species to know the valuable prospects B for their utilization. Aware of Tf the economic potentials of these / tree species, this government orU ganization has taken steps for I their industrial use. I I These tree species were des■' cribed in a paper written by R. ■ Z. de la Cruz. Known as the non-commercial species, they are mostly small trees that grow side by side with commercial timber and usually compose the lower canopy of forests. They repleInish logged-over areas and are scattered in forest lands. Little is known about their properties. This explains why they are often left untouched. Known as non-commercial II species - they are also known as Il weed species, miscellaneous speB cies and lower quality Philippine Set P100,000 In Prizes For GR Contest Winners A nation-wide contest has been launched for Green Revo lutionists, to find out who among them have the best backyard garden, the best livestock and poultry project and the best backyard fishpond. According to Ramon Binamira, vice-president of Esso Philippines and Chairman of the GR National Awards Committee, P100,000 in prizes will go to the winners of the contest, who will be announced during the awards ceremony on October 15, 1971, at the Agricultural Fair of the Nayong Pilipino, in Pasay.City. Purpose of the national con test, Green Revolution officials said, is to give recognition to outstanding individuals and com munities involved in the food production campaign, and to en courage other individuals and towns to join the movement. The awards committee said selection of the best projects woods. Aside from replenishing logged-over areas, they compose | second-growth stands. These trees could be used for \ many purposes. They can be 1 good material for pulp and paper making, wood chips, wall board, particle board, blockboard and I lumber plywood. Their use in the manufacture of wall board is highly recommended since wall- ¡8 board making does not require | proper blending. The big non-commercial spe cies can be used as core veneer. ' ; Studies at FORPRIDECOM show that by proper treatment of the bolts before they are cut into • veneer, these species can be just as good as the common varieties S converted into plywood. On the other hand, the small S non-commercial species could be g glued or bolted together to form I built-up beams for construction 8 purposes. Considering the fast & rate of exploitation of the com- . mercial species in the Philippines, S a demand for these species may be created in the near future, g Research on the development 1 of new products out of these g species, however, is not enough || to bring about their maximum utilization. This should be com- H plemented by forest management ¿g techniques and tree breeding to S produce wood of improved and uniform quality, suitable for 8 • more wood end-products. There I is no gain saying the need for | the utilization of the non-com- R mercial species, for such use S would increase its value, specially when its volume exceeds that of | some commercial species. will bo done by the GR Provin cial Committees on September 30. The committees will submit the same for final evaluation by a board of judges composed of technically qualified men from the government and the private sector. After the proclamation, the winners will receive their prizes from the First Lady, Mrs. Imelda Romualdez Marcos, at the Nayong Pilipino on October 15. All decisions of the National Awards Committee and the board of judges are final and irrevoca ble. It is understood, as well, that all exhibits and entries sub mitted to the Green Revolution Contest will be sold to the pub lic after the fair at prices indica ted by their owners. The GR provincial commit tees will be responsible for send ing the entries (with 5” x 7” black and white pictures of the actual site where the entry was grown or raised and a narrative history of the project) to Manila. Government Report, Monday, September 13, 1971 3 KEEPING OFF POLITICS. - President Marcos exhorts officers and members of the District and City Engineers League of the Philippines to stay clear of partisan activities during the elections, even as he emphasized their vital role in the country's development program. Photo shows the President addressing the DACEL delegation at Malacañang's Maharlika Hall. The group was accompanied by Public Works Secretary David Consunji, Public Works Undersecretary Baltazar Aquino, and DACEL President Benjamin V. Limbaga during their call on the President in the course of their organization's annual convention in Manila. New Rules On Gov’t Procurement Operations A new set of rules that will simplify government procure ment operations as well as guard against irregular or wasteful pur chases was recently promulgated by the Department of General Services under Order Mo. 13. General Services Secretary Constancio E. Castañeda said that the new set of rules was the re sult of the revision and updating of old procurement rules and procedures. The task was under taken by a special committee headed by Acting Supply Direc tor Marte U. Iglesias. Experts from the private sector also subs tantially contributed to the pro mulgation of the new rules. British Cinema Studio To Film Documentary On RP Progress A London cinema studio which is producing a series of dodumentary films entitled “The Story of Progress" has proposed to do a 25-minute color docu mentary on the Philippines, In dustry Undersecretary Troadio T. Ouiazon, Jr. said. Quiazon said the projected documentary will be shown throughout Europe, Africa and North A.merica. He endorsed the proposal to the Board of Travel and Tourist Industry, citing the numerous advantages the Philip pines can derive from the docu mentary film once produced and exhibited worldwide. He said that the film would not only encourage European and American tourists to come to the Philippines but would also serve as an effective adver tisement of the country and thus lure prospective investors from other countries. Quiazon said that the inte rested party is Drummer Films Limited, London’s top documen tary film distributor. If taken up, the project on the Philippines will be included in the new series the studio is now pre paring and which it will re lease through the Rank Organi zation, an internationally known movie company. Homestead Lots Gone In 5 Years The Philippines faces one of its most acute problems in the land pressure it is experiencing today, contrary to reports that the country has vast untapped land resources, Agriculture Sec retary Arturo R. Tanco, Jr. dis closed. Tanco warned that the threehectare lots still available per homesteader will be gone in the next five years, adding that after that there simply will not be suitable lands left to farm out to the country’s exploding popu lation. Explaining further, the DANR Secretary said only 10.4 million of the 30 million-hectare total land area of the Philippines to day may be used for agriculture. Because of this, he said, there is increasing intrusion into forest areas, resulting in the massive denudation of critical water sheds. According to Tanco, an ave rage of 123 Filipinos oRcupy one square kilometer of land, a high proportion compared to the Asian average of 86 and the world average of 25. This figure does not take into account the fact that not all of the land resources of the Philippine is arable. Tanco said, however, that the Philippine situation is still re assuring compared to the condi tions in other Asian countries. There is still comfortable elbow room here. While there are about 300 Filipinos to one square kilo meter of agricultural land, there are 1,400 in Korea; 1,500 in Taiwan; and 1,800 in Japan. But he said that the Philip pine population will have in creased to 100 million by the year 2000, such that our needs will reach a level at least three times the present requirements. GSIS Opens Individual Real Estate Loans The Government Service In surance System is granting anew individual real estate loans for the following purposes: 1. To finance construction or completion of residential build ings (single or duplex units). 2. Payment of the balance of the purchase price of a lot and the construction of a residential building on the lot. 3. Payment of an existing mortgage obligation. According to the policies, guidelines, and pointers issued by the GSIS board relating to the reactivated loans, the fol lowing may avail of the oppor tunity: members whose policies have been in force at least three years and retired government employes and armed forces offi cers and men, as well as unmar ried spouses of deceased retirees. Under the new regulations, real estate loans are pegged to specified sums in accordance with the location of the property offered as collateral. In Manila and suburbs. P50, 000; In chartered cities and pro vincial capitals, P30,000; In municipalities, P20.000. GSIS regional or agency ma nagers are authorized to approve original real estate loans applica tions of up to P20.000 each under this new plan. Machinery Program For Rice Growers The government had just launched a project which will provide farmers with machines that can operate farms of from two to 10 hectares. After using the machines for one year, the farmers are given the option to purchase them at prices lower than the original cost. Designed by the International Rice Research Institute, the ma chines, equipped with rice thresh ing, grain cleaning and winno wing facilities, will be introduced initially to. farmers in Nueva Ecija Facomas. Agro Cooperatives In Negros Oriental The organization of two more sugar agricultural cooperatives in Oriental Negros raised the num ber of sugar cooperative market ing units to 26 with an aggregate membership of 28,000 and a combined authorized capital of P47.29 million of which P14.10 million had been paid up. These cooperatives did a P72 million business last year. The new cooperatives are the Lapahawa Farmers Cooperative Marketing Association in Amalao, Bais City and the Banama Farmers’ Cooperative Marketing Association in Mabinay, Negros Oriental. The two government agencies mainly responsible fo.r the devel opment of these cooperatives are the Agricultural Productivity Commission and the Agricultural Credit Administration. The APC is charged with providing the cooperatives with education, pro motion and organization services, while the ACA exercises direct supervision over all farmer co operatives and provides them with credit assistance. Other agencies involved in agricultural cooperative develop ment in varying degrees are the PACD, the Agricultural Credit and Cooperative Institute and the National Electrification Ad ministration. 4 Government Report, Monday, September 13, 1971 Distortion (Continued from page 1) content of the memorandum and that precisely because of these misinterpretations, some persons and organizations felt unjustly accused or implicated by the government and the military authorities. As a legal document, the me morandum, Antonio explained is worded specifically and exp licitly, including the references to certain persons or organiza tions, who may have been iden tified by the proper authorities as subversive or functioning as a “front organization.” In each case, the fact is expressly stated in the said document. This can be verified from the memorandum itself, it was asser ted. For instance, the authorities were clear in stating that in the labor-peasants sector the “pri mary front organization” is the Malayang Samahan ng Magsasaka (MASAKA), and in the youth students and professional-intel lectual sectors, the “primary front organization is the Kabataang Makabayan (KM).” Contrary, however, to the re ports appearing in certain news papers, particularly the Manila Times and the Manila Chronicle, the State lawyers in their conso lidated memorandum have not made the broad accusation attri buted to them, as in the case of the facile conclusion that the State counsel had branded the Movement for the Advancement of Nationalism headed by Sena tor Lorenzo Tañada as a “Red front.” It was pointed out also that both the memorandum and the military intelligence reports do not contain any statement accus ing Undersecretary of Labor Amado Inciong of engaging in subversive activities. The name of the labor undersecretary was included in Annex 3 of the me morandum only, as part of the historical exposition of the legal theory of the case as advanced by counsel for the State, to the effect that the communist ele ments have been infiltrating vari ous mass organizations. The me morandum does not accuse the undersecretary of being a com munist or of having engaged in subversive activities. As explained by the labor undersecretary himself, “As vice president of the Lapiang Manggaga wa, I was present during the founding convention of the SPP during which I clashed with Jose Ma. Sisón on fundamental'quest ions.” Inciong added that “due to my work in the government, my involvement with the SPP ceased upon the close of its founding convention in 1967.” A careful reading and analysis of the memorandum and its an nexed documents revealed that, according to the State lawyers and the defense department, the communist elements in the coun try have been pursuing a program of subversion and have the com mon goal of overthrowing the government. In achieving this aim, they employ two basic forms of struggle, namely, armed struggle, and legal or parliamen tary struggle. The latter form of struggle is being carried out by, among others, setting up front organizations and infiltrating or influencing other mass organiza tions, the State lawyers said. However, the extent of the in filtration of the various mass organizations listed by the mili tary authorities was not indica ted. Annex “1” of the memoran dum is a graphic chart showing the “evolution and relationship of communist front groups and infiltrated, influenced mass or ganizations,” covering the period from 1950 to August, 1971. The “relationship” is indicated in Annex “1-A.” Annex “3” is also a tabulated list of the various communist front organizations and other mass groups which have been infiltrated or influenced, as af firmed by military intelligence reports. All these annexes and the me morandum do not say that the mass organizations mentioned are communist front organizations, or are necessarily subversive. What can be gathered from these documents is that these mass or ganizations are among the objec tives of the operations of the communist plotters who are de termined to overthrow the go vernment by force of arms. Existence of Rebellion In a 62-page memorandum, the State lawyers headed by Solicitor General Felix Antonio, told the Supreme Court that a state of rebellion exists in the country today, and because of the grave danger that it poses to the security of the State, as well as the safety and security of the public, the proclamation issued by President Marcos suspending the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus is fully justified. The State counsel stated that the communist-inspired rebellion in the country has been conti nuing for the past twenty years and such fact is recognized in the several decisions rendered by the Supreme Court involving cases of communist subversion. According to the State law yers the rebellious activities of the communist plotters in the country are best described in the May 1, 1969 issue of “Ang Bayan,” otherwise known as “Pahayagan Ng Partido Komunista Ng Pilipinas Pinagpatnubayan Ng Kaisipang Mao Tse Tung,” wherein the following appeared: “The most pressing task of the People’s Army now is to defeat and destroy the reactionary im perialist-created and imperialistsupported Armed Forces of the Philippines and all other kinds of armed power in the hands of the exploiting classes and the reactionary state at all levels.” The state solicitors tmentioned that the continuing unrest in our country has been highly praised in the “Peking Review” of April 9, 1971, in the follow ing terms: “The present situation in the Philippine revolutionary armed struggle is excellent. As the Cen tral Committee of the Commu nist Party of the Philippines has pointed out, the road of armed revolution has been opened and the spark of the armed struggle is turning into a prairie fire. “Kindled two years ago in Capas, Tarlac Province in Cent ral Luzon, the flames or the people’s armed struggle have now spread to other rural areas in Central, northern and southern Luzon and other places. Although the US imperialists have given the Philippine reactionaries a large amount of military aid and sent so-called US advisors to supervise the fighting they can not check the rapid development of the revolutionary armed strug gle. “Carrying out instructions of the Communist Party of the Philippines on establishing con solidated revolutionary bases, the New People’s Army last year set up temporary organizational committees in the rural areas. The peasant masses have raised their political consciousness through struggle, and a good number of young peasants en thusiastically joined the new ar my in response to the Party’s aopeal.” The memorandum also cited passages from a book of Amado Guerrero, also Jose Ma. Sisón, who has been identified by the authorities as the Chairman of Communist Party of the Philip pines and founder of the Kabataang Makabayan, describing the progress of the rebellious activi ties of the communists, their implementing arms, and affiliates during the tenure of President Marcos. Forms of Struggle The state lawyers said the communists have been employ ing two basic forms of struggle to attain their revolutionary ob jective, namely the armed strug gle, which is mostly conducted in the rural areas, and the" legal or parliamentary form of strug gle. These forms are used accord ing to circumstances or as dictat ed by the situation. The Court was informed that “the link-up of the Kabataang Makabayan with the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army sometime in March 1969, energized the revolutionary forces with the combining of substantially re presentative followings from the three most important, decisive elements of our society in the pursuit of the Party’s legal (and armed) struggle: (1) labor-pea sants; (2) youths-students; and (3) professionals-intellectuals. ’ ’ The aim of the communist plot ters is to develop these three tar get sectors to the full and work to attain its ends mainly through the front organizations, the state lawyers asserted. REP Vol. II No. 26 MAX T. RAMOS M—ghg Editor Produced by Tl Printed by the National M Tel. Not. 44M3-SS; Public Safety Imperilled In justification of the procla mation, the Chief government counsel contended that official records and date compiled at GHQ AFP disclose that the armed struggle and urban guerril la activities of the Communist Party of the Philippines have in deed resulted in considerable ca sualties. The State counsel stated that hostile armed conflicts and re lated incidents from the year 1966 up to August 15, 1971 yielded: 1,129 civilians killed, wounded and kidnapped; 174 AFP personnel killed and woun ded; and 175 dissidents (HMBNPA) killed, with 514 surrende rees and 605 captured. The State counsel also stated there was a marked increase in the number of incidents and ca sualties after 1968, and that ma nifestations of the legal struggle were clearly evident from the violent demonstrations and bom bings which occurred beginning January 25, 1970 up to August 23, 1971, totalling 69 incidents; with 31 persons killed, 939 woun ded and 573 arrested. According to the State law yers, sometime in April and May 1971, information was received from some ranking officers of the New People's Army of the existence of a plot to terrorize the City of Manila. However, the State lawyers said, it was agreed then that no action should be taken unless additional evidence from other sources of information inside the Communist Party confirmed the reported plan of assatssunation kidnapping, burning, and terror ism in the City of Manila men tioned in said information, and that this plan was to be imme diately and actually implementGovernment Report, Monday, September 13, 1971 5 OVERSTAYING ALIENS Expose Modus Operandi ORT Monday, September 13, 1971 ARTEMIO T. CARIjr Attociate Editor THE BASEMENT Media Production Cantar P.O. Box 4201. Manila ed, or that any acts would be undertaken by the Communists to implement this plan. The State lawyers disclosed that under this plan, known as the “July-August Plan,” the ter rorism that the two Central Lu zon provinces of Pampanga and Tarlac have experienced before 1970 was to be extended by the New People’s Army to the metro politan Manila area. Execution of this plan would be by the New People’s Army units and by lead ers who found Manila not only a haven and sanctuary from the intensified operations by govern ment troops in the provinces but who were also later assigned to carry out specific missions of terrorism. The State counsel said that as early as July, 1970, some subver sive elements had taken courses in sabotage operations in Barrio Sinipit, Cabiao, Nueva Ecija, and that further training in explosives were conducted in Luisiana, La guna, As early as June 13, 1971, the State counsel went on, KM hard core members were report ed dispatched on sabotage mis sions in the Greater Manila area. Targets indicated were the vital machineries of the Balara Filtra tion Plant, Meralco and othet electrical power installations, ga soline stations and other essen tial public and private structures. When the Plaza Miranda Libe ral Party rally was bombed with hand grenades, sources of infor mation from within the ranks of the NPA confirmed the begin ning of the implementation of the July-August Plan of intensi fied terrorism, the State counsel told the high court. Solicitor General Antonio stated in the memorandum that upon the promulgation of Procla mation No. 889 on August 21, 1971, the President issued inst ructions to the Secretary of Na tional Defense which on the same day was communicated by the latter to all units concerned in order to obviate possible cases of injustice in the arrest or de tention of suspects. Antonio added that as a com plementary effort to the imple mentation of the instructions of the President, the Undersecretary of National Defense, on September 2, 1971, directed the Chief of the Constabulary to consti tute an appropriate Complaints and Action group in each of the four PC zones as well as in the Headquarters of the Philippine Constabulary that would be res ponsible for preventing or check ing into any abuses in connection with the suspension of the privi lege of the writ of habeas corpus. Legal Issues On the legal questions raised before the Supreme Court by the petitioners, the State memo randum contended that: 1. Proclamation 889 is valid on its face since the existence of insurrection or rebellion is clear ly averred in the said proclama tion; on this point, the State counsel argued that a strict, tech nical interpretation of the procla mation is unwarranted, and at any rate, the issuance of Procla mation 889-A amending Procla mation 889 has rendered this is sue moot and academic; 2. The President can suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus on the basis of an immi nent danger of invasion, insur rection or rebellion; 3. The factual finding of the President that the exigencies on which the suspension was issued is final and unreviewable by the courts; 4. There is a condition of act ual rebellion and insurrection and the President’s determina tion that public safety warranted the suspension of the writ’s pri vilege is based on reasonable ground; 5. The suspension of the pri vilege of the writ throughout the country, is likewise required by public safety; 6. Judicial inquiry into cause of detention is limited to the existence of probable cause of arrest; and 7. The suspension of the pri vilege of the writ of habeas cor pus carries with it the suspension of the right to bail. A total of 239 temporary visitors, all Chinese nationals, have left the Philippines since July 31 as a result of the stepped up drive launched by the Bureau of Immigration to enforce the law on overstaying transient aliens. The last group of the number specified left yesterday on the instance of immigration officials who went out of their way to secure travel accommodations for the departing foreign visitors. Lamberto Almeda, chief of the Bl’s intelligence division, said the overstaying aliens were prevailed upon to leave under pain of forfeiture of their cash bonds which ranged from P2,000 (ordinary temporary visitors) to Pl0,000 (cabinet policy visitors) each. Ordinary temporary visitors are visiting foreigners with per mits to stay limited to 59 days, while cabinet policy visitors are permitted to stay at least three months. Cash bonds of transient aliens, Immigration Commissioner Ed mundo Reyes said, may be for feited for overstaying and for other violations of local laws governing the temporary stay of foreign visitors here. In the face of strong de nunciations from certain quar ters, particularly politicians with vested interests, Commissioner Keyes ordered the revocation of the permits or extensions of stay of foreigners who were held liable for violations of the pro visions of the Immigration Act of 1940 (C.A. 613), as amended. Reyes was earlier denounced for alleged abuse of authority in re voking permits which he had previously approved. Upon inquiry, however, it was learned that the action of Reyq? was in order. As Immigration Commissioner, it is within his discretion to either authorize or refuse the stay of temporary foreign visitors. As a matter of fact, Com missioner Reyes has been lenient with visiting foreign nationals. Most foreigners who initially en tered the country for a brief stopover were allowed to take advantage of the maximum stay ing time, beyond the 72-hour limit given to aliens enroute to other countries. While most foreign visitors were found to be law-abiding, there are a few who abuse the liberality of the immigration law, Reyes disclosed. One case in point is that of a number of Chinese nationals who were sche duled to leave on the last week of July last year, in accordance with the law, but who had stayed a full one year in the Philippines. In the process of tracking down the Chinese overstayers, who continually changed addres ses without informing the Bureau of Immigration beforehand, in deed a modus operandi adopted by deliberate evaders of immi gration laws, NBI investigators said, immigration authorities have authenticated a conspiracy to help foreign visitors stay in the country illegally. The procedure is for tempo rary visitors to enter the country ostensibly for a brief sojourn, and to leave the islands as soon as their time is up. Once in the country, however, they seek out kin and friends who are usually well-established merchants or bu sinessmen with connections who intercede in behalf of the visitors. -Bribing their way through offi cial channels, including certain unscrupulous politicians, the vi sitors succeed in either convert ing their permits to something more permanent in status, or in extending their permits indefi nitely. Many of those who have suc ceeded thus far were observed to have found gainful employment, which is frowned upon by law in the case of transients, or had committed crimes and other vio lations of the Immigration Act. The problem posed by aliens seeking roots here is one of the objects of intensive studies be ing conducted by the Constitu tional Convention for the pur pose of instituting corrective measures. Meanwhile, the seizure of cash bonds of overstaying tem porary visitors and transit pas sengers is one way of discou raging illegal entry, the Bureau of Immigration said. THE ILLS OF THE GOVERNMENT 6 Government Report, Monday, September 13, 1971 Sugpo farming techniques de veloped at the Mindanao State University Marine Research La boratory in Na-awan, Oriental Misamis can easily make the Filipino sugpo farmer produce 2,500 kilos of sugpo per hectare of pond annually. This production figure betters that of fish farmers engaged in pure sugpo culture who can only fetch as much as 500 kilos of sugpo per hectare per year. Sug po production using traditional ^methods can get only about 10 Ko 100 kilos of sugpo per hec tare of pond per year. J Sugpo (or prawn) production [is growing into big business in khe country. Fishpond operators [are now beginning to venture into large scale production of sugpo for export, with Japan as the principal target market. Japan imports about 25,000 tons of prawns every year. Philippine prawns used to sell for as much as $3,680 per ton before the peso was floated. The newly developed sugpo farming technique was disclosed by Dr. D. 1<. Villaluz, dean of the MSU college of fisheries. Dr. Villaluz headed a te^m of young fishery technologists, com posed of Antonio Villauz, L'adib Sheik, Bienvenido Ladrera and Alejandro Gonzaga,’ which conEXPORTABLE SUGPO. - An NSDB scientist measures sugpo grown in the rearing tanks of the Mindanao State University Marine Research Laboratory in Naawan, Misamis Oriental. MSU marine scientists have been able to develop new techniques that would revolutionize sugpo farming and increase sugpo production to meet export demands. ‘Sugpo’ Production ducted a study of sugpo farming techniques. The new sugpo culture tech nique, Prof. Villaluz said, uses pregnant female sugpo caught in fish corrals or by gill fisher men in Pangil Bay in Lanao del Norte. The gravid female sugpo are then placed in tanks fed with sea water, where they spawn. On the average, a female sugpo spawns about 150,000 eggs. Of this number, about ,70 per cent are hatched. At least 10,500 sugpo fry are produced from one mother sugpo alone. Prof. Villaluz said that sugpo fry can be harvested from the rearing tanks and made ready for stocking in the ponds after 38 days. He said that the sugpo which his team had developed grows to as much as 10 in. or more in length. It could be readied for the market in nine months. Sugpo production in the Phi lippines has been adversely af fected by the polluted condition of fishpond bottoms and by present fishpond management practices, Prof. Villaluz said. It is about time that the product ion of sugpo was made under technologically controlled condi tions in fish farm enclosures, he added. A thorough understanding of the biology and chemical composition of the foods and feeding requirements of sugpo as well as the utilization of rearing facilities necessary for 1 the fast growth of this valuable 1 export product are all the indus- I try needs, he explained. B The development of the new B sugpo farming technique was i made possible with the assistance 8 of the National Science Develop- H ment Board. According to NSDB B Chairman Florencio A. Medina, B the new farming technique will 1 be made available to those who S are interested. He said that this 1 is the only way by which the NSDB could return to the people K the benefits of NSDB-assisted S research projects undertaken with the people’s money. Even before the results of the project which led to the development of this sugpo far ming technique were released, a ranking Lanao del Norte offi cial engaged in extensive fish farming has already made known his intention to use the new method. The Lanao del Norte official, a leading fish farmer in Mindanao, is devoting 200 hectares of a 1500-hectare fish farm to sugpo raising. This of ficial is investing P30-?< in his fish farms in an attempt to cash in on sugpo which is now in big demand in the world market. RURAL SCENE CONTROL RICE TUNGRO Tungro is a virus disease of rice usually occurring in lowland fields. Recently, the disease has spread to alarming proportions in Central and Southern Luzon provinces, the Bicol Region, Isa bela and Cotabato. If not con trolled, the inroads of the disease will result in considerable loss in rice yield. Director Eliseo Carangdang of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), apprised of the situation, has disseminated information on the control of Tungro. Some pointers: Rice plants affected by Tung ro become stunted, with leaves discolored into various shades, including yellow and orange. Once spotting this symptom, far mers should immediately contact personnel of the BPI or Agricul tural Productivity Commission in the area for immediate assis tance. For seed treatment and seed ling dip, soak the seeds, prefe rably resistant varieties like IR20 and C4, in a Furadan solution for 24 hours. For a cavan of seeds, dissolve 1-1/2 kilos of 3 per cent granular Furadan in enough water to adequately co ver the seeds. Then remove the seeds from the solution and allow them to germinate for 24 hours. Sow the seeds in the seedbed. Another measure is the wet-bed method: broadcast 3 kilos of 3 per cent Furadan granules (per cavan of seeds) to cover seed lings 10 to 12 days later. From 21 to 25 days after sowing the seedbed, pull the seedlings and wash away the soil from the roots. Then place the seedlings in a solution made by dissolving 3 kilos of 3 per cent granular Furadan (per cavan of seeds) in enough water to cover the roots of the seedlings. After 12 hours in the solution the seedlings are ready for trans planting. The same treatment should be given dapog seedlings. This procedure will provide good protection for the first 25 to 30 days after transplanting. As an alternative to the seed treatment, and seedling dip, spra ying chemicals every 7 to 10 days can be an effective though costly way of controlling the green leafhopper and minimizing Tungro infection. A 0.04 per cent spray of any one of the above chemicals should be used. Spraying in frequently will not give adequate protection. Other control measures are to destroy all volunteer rice plants and weeds in paddies and levees between planting seasons. This is also true of diseased plants. Spray them as they appear in slightly infected ricefields to minimize sources of inoculum for the next crop. In seriously infected ricefarms (about 60 days old rice plants), plow under the infected rice plants. FEEDER ROAD SAVES TRANSPORT COST From now on, farmers of Barrio Concepcion, San Simon, Pampanga, won’t have to pay the transport fee of P3.00 per cavan of rice, when they bring their grain to the nearest ware house. This has been made possible by the construction of a feeder road along the irrigation dike in the barrio by the National Irriga tion Administration (MIA). Prior to the construction of the road, farmers were forced to pay P2.00 per cavan of palay in hauling charges, from their farm to the barrio; and Pl.00 per cavan from their barrio to the warehouse. To remedy the situation, San Simon Mayor Lamberto Punzalan made representations with the officials of MIA for the cons truction of a road. Cognizant of the worth 'of the request, MIA Administrator Alfredo Juinio quickly responded. He ordered the widening and elevation of the existing irrigation dike, to make it serve as a feeder road. As a result, motor vehicles can now go direct to the farms to gather the produce of the farmers. Cost of transportation has been reduced to only 30 centavos a cavan of palay. INT’L MEET Consumers Union Picks Manila As Confab Site The next meeting of the International Organization of Consumers Unions, which has its headquarters at The Hague, Netherlands, will be held in Manila, from November 23 to 29, it was announced by Com merce Undersecretary Eliseo V. Villamor. The commerce undersecretary earlier met with J. H. Van Veen, IOCU executive secretary, who said that a large turnout of delegates is expected at the con ference. The Department of Commerce and Industry will, meanwhile, heldi a program on consume rism at the Philamlife Audito rium last September 3, in con nection with the forthcoming observance of Consumers Pro tection Week. scheduled for the last w^ek of October. The first council meeting of the IOC’’ to be held in -.''añila. Villamor said, will boost our own consumer protection drive which the DCI is currently promoting. Van Veen, who is touring Asia and the Pan Pacific area to encourage the participation of consumers unions in the pro jected IOCU meeting in Manila, indicated to Villamor that re presentatives of the United Na tions Economic and Social Coun cil, the UNICEF, UNESCO, FAO. and the Consumer Pro tection Committee of the Coun cil of Europe will attend the meeting. Organized in 1960, the IOCU has become an international fo rum for all kinds of consumer problems and consultant on con sumer international agencies. The IOCU is an independent, non-profit and non-political foun dation which seeks to promote worldwide cooperation in the fields of consumer protection, information and education. Government Report, Monday, September 13, 1971 7 Revolution (Continued from page 1) Rice (Continued from page 1) bution. The book consists of six chap ters, besides an Introduction; an Addendum, which takes stock of recent events including the Plaza Miranda bombing and the subse quent suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus; and an Epilogue, which summarizes his arguments for a '‘democratic revolution.” Among the main points dis cussed in the President’s book are: 1. That there are two types of revolution -- the Jacobin, or violent type; and liberal, or peaceful revolution. 2. That the revolution “is not about to come, it is here.” 3. That the right to rebel is “an elemental human right,” and that the people have “an inhe rent right of revolution.” 4. That a government-initiated revolution, a “revolution from above,” is not a contradiction in terms, and that in fact “a demo cratic government is obliged to make itself the faithful instru ment of the people’s revolution ary aspirations.” 5. That “the dominant cha racteristic of our society which demands radical change is the economic gap between the rich and the poor,” and that conse quently, “revolutionaries anchor their appeal on the age-old con flict between the rich and the poor.” 6. That radical change to cor rect this situation is necessary, but that such a change has been “more honored in the pretension than in the performance.” 7. That the media have con tributed to the perpetuation of the oligarchic “values” (which provide the “wealthy few the opportunity of exercising undue influence on the political autho rity”) and have “promoted the decadence of the masses.” 8. That communism “is a big swindle.” 9. That both abolition of pri vate property under communism and the unrestricted control of wealth and property by a few private individuals under capi talism violate freedom. The President quotes, among othqrs, Pope Paul VI, who in his encyclical Populorum Progressio, says: “Private property does not constitute for anyone an abso lute and unconditioned right. No one is justified in keeping for his exclusive use what he does not need, when others lack necessities.” He stresses that we should now make a choice between “the democratization of wealth or its abolition,” and suggests that the revolution should move in the direction of a system which would best serve human dignity and freedom. The book advocates regula tion of private wealth and pro perty. The President concludes that there can never be a perfect so ciety. However, he says, “a so ciety which permits human be ings to fulfill themselves in what ever manner that befits their dignity and freedom as indivi duals is worth our single-minded dedication.” tion system for Quezon City is now being developed, and that the situation there is expected to stabilize in two weeks. He added that rolling stores will still be utilized, particularly in servicing the institutional mar kets (government offices and pri vate firms) as well as selected points in Greater Manila and nearby provinces. RCA Chairman and Gpneral Manager Jose D. Drilon, Jr. re cently completed negotiations for the importation of 10,000 metric tons of rice from Japan on a deferred payment plan. In a report he submitted to President Marcos, in his capacity as chief negotiator, Drilon' said that the rice shipments will start arriving this month. According to Drilon, the Ja panese rice costs $137 per ton. It was agreed that the period for deferred payment should run fifteen years, including the five years of grace period at the out set. The interest during the defer red payment period shall be paid at the rate of 2 per cent per annum for five years. The interest rate will then be reset to 3 per cent per annum for the ten years following the end of the grace period. The Japanese rice importa tion, which will roughly consist of about 179,000 cavans, raises to more than 6 million cavans the rice that the country has imported in the past few months. These shipments were added to the RCA rice stock which total led 2,327,884 cavans, represent ing rice importations from April to August this year. Withholding Tax Representatives of some government agencies cited by the Bureau of Internal Revenue as among those delinquent in remitting taxes with held from employes have called up Government Report questioning the inclusion of their offices in the list. For the information of these government representatives, the list was provided GR by the BIR. We therefore suggest that any inquiry regarding the matter should be addressed to the BIR’s Withholding Tax Division. Partnership In Wood Products With Puerto Rico The Philippines can establish a viable business partnership in wood products with Puerto Rico, if a direct shipping route to that country can be set up, the De partment of Commerce and In dustry said. According to the Philippine commercial analyst in Mexico, the fact that Taiwan has a di rect sea route to Puerto Rico has virtually enabled that coun try to corner the Puerto Rican wood market. According to the analyst, the wood products exported by Tai wan to Puerto Rico are mostly made of Philippine lauan, part of the huge export of local logs National Museum Week and unprocessed lumber to Tai wan. These exports are convert ed into processed products, such as doors, frames, panels, ply wood and others, and then re exported from Taiwan to such markets as Puerto Rico. The DCI said that a Puerto Rican firm is interested in estab lishing contact with Philippine wood products firms which make doors, frames, boards and other items out of local lauan wood. Filipino entrepreneurs can gene rate a substantial export business with Puerto Rico, the DCI said, if they would only seize this opportunity. Under the law providing funds for a more substantial land reform program, an Agra rian Reform Special Account in the General Fund is created, which shall be used exclusively to finance the agrarian reforms and shall be constituted out of a portion of the proceeds of the stabilization tax collected under Republic Act 6125. It is expec ted that funds accruing to the agrarian reform special account for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1972 will amount to P50 million, to be used for the lend ing activities of the Agricultural Credit Administration, land de velopment and resettlement, surLand Reform (Continued from page 1) vey and subdivision, and issuance of titles by agrarian reform agencies, among others. There will be transfers of certain assets of the national government, including the shares of stocks of the national govern ment in the Lepanto Consolida ted Mining Company, Inc., now being administered by the Board of Liquidators, to the agricultu ral guarantee fund created under the land reform financing law. Priority in the allocation of funds will be extended to coope ratives, farmers with leasehold contracts and farmers who are members of cooperatives. The Agricultural Land Reform Code was amended to create a regular land reform department, with three staff services-planning service, financial and manage ment service and administrative service, each headed by a chief. Under the new department will be the Bureau of Farm Manage ment, Bureau of Land Acquisi tion, Distribution and Develop ment, Bureau of Resettlement, and Bureau of Agrarian Legal Assistance. Regional land re form offices are increased from nine to ten. The new agrarian reform code abolished the land reform project administration and the national land reform council. Interesting cultural exhibits and activities are planned in connection with the observance of the National Museum Week which will be held from October 1 to 7 this year. To climax the Museum Week observance, a three-day symposium with the theme, “Assessing Phi lippine Culture within the Con text of Contemporary Society,” will be held. Prominent lecturers who have attained distinction in the fields of art, music, natural history, social sciences and econystems are expected to participate in the series of symposia aimed at exploring the dimensions of cur rent cultural research and how it influences the development of a distinct and indigenous national identity. According to the report, the organization of the Museums As sociation of the Philippines has also been timed to coincide with the scheduled week-long festi vities. Other cultural activities and projects include radio-television programs showing the accom - plishments of the National Museum in the fields of educa tion, culture and science, and exhibitions depicting the cultu ral traditions and heritage of the country. The committee in charge of the observance is composed of Godofredo L. Alcasid, chairman; Israel B. Cabanilla, Rodolfo V. Mallari, Pedro C. Gonzales, Silvio M. Lopez and Domingo A. Madulid, members. 8 Government Report, Monday, September 13, 1971 PFM Hits Diokno’s ‘Times’Interview President Marcos last week took to task Senator Jose Diokno for allegations the latter made in an interview with the New York Times, branding the sena tor’s statements as “irresponsi ble, malicious, unfounded and false.” Following is the text of the statement of the President: An interview which appears in the September 7 issue of the New York Times quotes resigned Nacionalista Party Senator Jose Diokno as saying that the mili tary, or men trained by the military, rather than communist elements as confirmed by our government, threw the grenades that exploded at the Plaza Miran da opposition rally on August -21. This statement is irresponsi ble, malicious, unfounded and false. Senator Diokno does not know the facts and has not sought any briefing on the facts of the incident. He is not in any position to offer or supply any information on the matter, or to dispute facts that have been Excerpts because it cannot revolt against itself. The common axiom derived from this semantic proposition is that there can never be “revolution from above.” It is idle talk in this context of the threat of revolution; what must be considered rather is its challenges. The revolution is not about to come; it is here. It is not a potential but an actual problem. The meaningful question, however, is: Revolution for what? Many of us do not see the actuality of revolution because they wait for the classical sign: the nationwide clash of arms. But the violence of revolution is there, in the language, emotions and marches of the rebellious groups, except that these do not fall vtithin the common definition of revolution. whenever the most DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION (Continued from page 1) The freedom of the press is sanctimoniously invoked the work of media is criticized. But is its hospitality to spurious statements and the most outrageous allegations a faifaetep ih, say, improving the quality of political debate, or keeping the people well-informed? Do media not promote decadence of the masses by reducing the discussion of national issues to the level of entertain ment? The usual excuse is the “low taste” of the masses, but pander ing to, exploiting it, assuming the judgment to be true, cannot deserve the abused name of “public service.” It is quite revealing that the very radicals whom the media pretend to sympathize with allude to it as the “reactionary press.” The sweep ing accusation is that the press will lengthily and noisily commit itself to the peripheral issues qf our society but not to the fundamental ones: for example, private property. We tend to ask only one question, “Why is the President impatient with this person? ” Let us ask occasionally, “Why is this person apop lectic about the President? ” The President has no time to quarrel, but anyone, any organized group, has all the time to quarrel with him. Jacobin revolutions liquidate an entire ruling class and its governing | machinery, resulting in the destruction of an existing social order and ! its replacement by a new one. Most modern revolutions are Jacobin I because of the illegitimacy and the oppressiveness of the governments The reason is simple: some of his decisions fall under the zero-sum against which they were made. Liberal revolutions, which are rare, democratize or radicalize an existing social order, and while they may not be completely devoid of violence, they achieve their ends by constitutional and legal means. A case in point was the Bloodless English Revolution, which trans formed English society with the enfranchisement of the, emerging classes. As Jacobin revolutions destroy closed societies, liberal revo- the denunciation is loud; when they are beneficial, there is, if at all, lutions democratize open societies. The dominant, characteristic of our society which demands radical change is the economic gap between the rich and the poor. We find here a wide consensus that includes the rich themselves. This gap is the constant theme of political oratory and social criticism. There is a general agreement that this gap must be narrowed down if only revolution is either necessary or effective in an existing democracy, for the sake of social stability. The permeation of oligarchic “values” is also managed through the control of the means of mass communication. It is no longer a secret that the displeasure of the oligarchs is communicated through radio and television commentaries and newspaper columns. The media have become the weapon of a special class rather than serve as a pub lic forum. The so-called “editorial prerogative” has /been used justify whatis best described as “selective journalism.” prirj^iple: the gain of one group is the loss of another. Many other decisions, especially those which are the results of compromise and ¡ accommodation (and this is what democratic leadership often is), | although beneficial on the whole, are unsatisfactory to the competing I parties. Finally, the fruits of policy, especially when it involves the | national interest, take time to be discernible. When they are harmful, but faint praise. I believe that in our precarious democracy, which tends towards an oligarchy because of the power of the wealthy few ovér the impo verished many, there remains a bright hope for a radical and sweeping change without the risk of violence. I do not believe that violent to I believe that our realization of the common peril, our complete understanding of our national condition, will unite us in a democratic revolution that will strengthen our democratic institutions and offer, finally, our citizens the opportunity of making the most and the best of themselves. I believe that democracy is the revolution, that it is today’s revolution. This is my fighting faith. PRESIDENT MARCOS addresses provincial governors, city and municipal mayors and other officials from Visayas and Mindanao who called on the President Friday last week. In his remarks, the President urged local officials to help attain complete victory for the Nacionalista Party in Nov ember in order to prevent communism from succeeding in the country. confirmed by the most reliable sources of information by our government. The fact that stands out of the Plaza Miranda incident is that it was part of a broad plan of Communist terrorism in the metropolitan Manila area and environs. To the best knowledge of our government, such a plan was averted by our instant re action to the incident, which immediately immobilized Com munist cadres and front organi zations. The theory that the grenades used at Plaza Miranda might have originated from a military armo ry merely means that they were of the same type as those stock piled in foreign, as well as our own, military armories here, as they were of the same type as the grenades being used today in Vietnam, or those smuggled into the country, or pilfered from foreign bases, by lawless ele ments, dissidents and subversives. Their military origin is no more significant than the fact that certain heavy weapons in the hands of the local communists may have come from military sources. But we have in our possession evidence to show that grenades of a military type were bought by certain parties now known to us, from certain other parties, now also known to the govern ment. These buyers are not iden tified with the military, nor with the Administration, nor with the Nacionalista Party. Because of his position as legal counsel to some of those now being held by government for subversion, it is only under standable that Senator Diokno takes a position contrary to ours on the entire question of subver sion. But it is most unseemly, it is conduct of a questionable nature, for the Senator to supply un founded information to any newspaper, particularly for the consumption of a foreign public that does not have access to the facts, and has no way of know ing whether Senator Diokno is in any position to offer any information on this matter. Considering the fact that Se nator Diokno has chosen to withhold the same statement from the Philippine newspapers and all other media of informa tion in the Philippines, it is to be wondered whether in making his statement to a foreign news paper, he did not hope to capi talize on the lack of first hand information available or accessi ble to that same newspaper in order to peddle this most absurd and outrageous opinion. In making this statement, Se nator Diokno has taken a posi tion against the best interests of the Filipino people.