November 23, 1985

Per advice of Soc, I had a one-on-one with Cory this afternoon. We met at 5 pm at her house in Times St.

November 21, 1985

Soc Rodrigo came at 8 pm this evening to suggest (1) That I pay a call on Celing Muñoz-Palma on her birthday –to smooth out whatever ripples might have resulted during our confrontasi ten days ago. Even if I know I did nothing wrong. Because I am a candidate, I agreed to see her. I also agreed to see (2) Cory at her residence to resolve once and for all who will be the single common candidate of the opposition.

I will visit Celing Palma tomorrow, it’s her birthday. There is really nothing to patch up as far as I’m concerned. I am the aggrieved person. But I’ll have to go anyway –only because I’m a candidate!

 

November 12, 1985

I was invited to attend the NUC which I had created as President of UNIDO and I was therefore anxious to find out the truth of the two documents I had just read. We met at the Cojuangco Bldg. Cory, obviously aware of what Celing Palma was going to do, begged off and left after a few minutes. She said she could no longer be a “unifier” because she was already a potential candidate.

Then I heard Celing Palma suddenly insisting on everyone agreeing on the NUC becoming the DOP. I expressed surprise at this because the NUC is a creation of the UNIDO and it is not right that the creature should displace the creator as DOP.

Then I questioned Celing Palma’s pretension at being neutral, and I mentioned the plot described in the “Gathering of Davids”. At first Celing Palma was denying her role but I said I had the documents to prove it. Because I had questioned her neutrality, she resigned as Chairman of the NUC. Soc Rodrigo, Vice-Chairman, took over.

As part of the planned media blitz to discredit and destroy me and UNIDO, the NUC-CG went on the rampage the next day falsely reporting that I had “shouted” at an “old, venerable lady”. They even distorted it further by saying I had “pointed an angry finger” at her.

I was emphatic but I never shouted at Muñoz-Palma. I never pointed an “angry finger” at her. Soc Rodrigo, who was beside me, can attest to this. But that was all to be twisted and played up by media as planned by Cory’s secret advisers who are very ruthless and bitter people, full of hate and vengefulness.

November 11, 1985

Arrived from Tokyo this morning.

Spoke before the Manila Rotary Club. During the open forum that followed my speech, a die-hard supporter gave me 17-page document entitled “A Gathering of Davids”, dated October 30, 1985. Attached to it was another document consisting of 9 pages entitled “Declaration of Unity, dated Dec. 26, 1984.

the first document was a carefully conceived plot to destroy and discredit UNIDO and me as presidential standard bearer. The objective was to grab the leadership of the opposition from UNIDO and place it in the hands of left-leaning elements, using Cory as their tool. Obviously, this was hatched while I was in US.

The plot had a time-table. They were supposed to the COMELEC accreditation as Dominant Opposition Party (DOP) by Nov. 5. But they were delayed because of my absence. The NUC was to be used as the instrument to get the DOP from UNIDO and Ex-Justice Cecilia Muñoz-Palma was the anointed implementor. All along she had pretended to be “neutral”, but the document clearly showed that she was already part of the plot to replace UNIDO as DOP and replace me as presidential candidate. Their plan was to make Cory the presidential candidate and NUC as the DOP.

The plotters were:

Lorenzo Tañada — Convenor Group

Jose W. Diokno

Jaime V. Ongpin — Convenor Group

Cory Aquino — Convenor Group

Jovito Salonga ?

Butz Aquino

Aquilino Pimentel

Sonny Osmeña

Tito Guingona

 

They were the signatories also to the “Declaration of Unity” which had agreed to legalize the Communist Party and swore to immediately remove the US Bases — which Eva Kalaw and I had refused to sign.

It was specifically stated that the UNIDO was to be “forced” “as quickly as possible” to yield to NUC-CG demands “or else” be “isolated” and “viewed as the villain” by the people. A well-planned concerted media blitz to discredit and destroy UNIDO and me “at all cost” was already planned. “Coordinated press releases, interviews” were ready.

The so-called “Command Structure of the Coalition” excluded UNIDO. A convention within 48-hours also excluded UNIDO.

A letter addressed to the NUC, attention MP Cecilia Muñoz Palma, “reminding” her to seek the DOP status for NUC bu November 7, was already drafted.