MARCOS TESTIMONY ON SLAYINGS SOUGHT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000504650012-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 9, 2012
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: March 28, 1986
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/09: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504650012-2
t AP?EAfi t'
~~~~ JA WASHINGTON POST
28 March 1986
Marcos Testimony on Slayings Sought
By Caryle Murphy
Washington Post Staff Writer
Deposed Philippine president
Ferdinand Marcos has been subpoe-
naed in connection with a lawsuit al-
leging that his government violated
the civil rights of two Filipino
Americans murdered in Seattle in
1981, according to a sister of one of
the slain men.
Cynthia Domingo said the sub-
poena, which asks Marcos to give a
deposition in Honolulu April 15, was
served Wednesday at his new res-
idence in Hawaii. Stanton D. Ander-
son, an attorney for Marcos, said
the former president has not decid-
ed whether he will comply.
Lawyers representing the fam-
ilies of the slain men, Silme Do-
mingo and Gene Viernes, want to
question Marcos about the activi-
ties of Philippine intelligence agents
in this country whi e he was in pow-
er, according to one o teat or-
pevs. Michael Withev of Seattle. He
said a subpoena also has been is-
sued for. Gen. Fabian Ver, armed
forces chief of staff under Marcos.
The suit, filed in 1982, alleged
that agents of Marcos' government
conspired to violate the civil rights
of Domingo and Viernes, an action
that led to their deaths.
The men, both 29, were officials
of a mainly Filipino cannery work-
ers' union in Seattle and worked in
the Marcos opposition. They were
shot in the union office in June
1981.
Three Filipino Americans were
convicted in the slayings, which
prosecutors linked to gambling and
unhappiness over union reforms.
But the slain men's families and
friends remained unconvinced, and
filed the federal civil rights suit.
In pretrial proceedings, court pa-
pers show, it was learned that an-
other union member, whose gun
was used in the slayings, met with
Philippine agents shortly before-
hand. According to the complaint,
the man, Constantine Tony Baruso,
allegedly made three calls to the
State Department shortly after the
murders.
The Justice Department sought
to prevent Baruso from being ques-
tioned by lawyers for the men's
families, but was rebuffed by a fed-
eral judge
Members of the Philippine oppo-
sition here often complained of ha-
rassment Marcos agents and al-
leged that U. S. officials were aware
of the agents' illegal activities. In
1979 the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee was given a classified
re ort that U.S. intelligence author-
P g
ittes new i ipome agents were
sp in on dissidents here. And a
leaked 1 Defense intelligence
Aency memo said members o e
Phi Philippine massy staff monitore
and "would posse y operate
against opponents here.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/02/09: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504650012-2