MARCOS INSISTS HE AND HIS REGIME ARE STRONG

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000504660004-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 24, 2012
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: November 3, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/27: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504660004-0
ARTICLE APPfkW
ON PAGE
NEW YORK TIMES
3 November 1985
Marcos Insists. He and
His Regime Are Strong
By SETH MYDANS
A Soviet Threat?
But a report circulating in the Senate Select
Committee on Intelligence point uo a ailem-
mzf. - Is the Philippines heading for civil ma. It said the Soviet Union had beefed u the
war under an unpopular leader whose health is so embassy Mania and had made indirect con-
bad that he may not live two more years? The tacts with the insurgents in apparent pre ration
United States appears to believe so and is deeply toriVying arms ana other s ies to w t
worried about the effects on its strategic inter- been a home-gro and largely self-supporting
ests in the Far East. retie movemen .
President Ferdinand E. Marcos has gone to The Government said last week that during a
some lengths lately to deny that Washington's visit to Moscow, the President's wife, Imelda,
perception is accurate. For one thing, he has had been assured by the Soviet President, Andrei
staged media events. To challenge assertions A. Gromyko, that the Soviet Union would not
that he had only a 50-.50?chance of living until elec- back the insurgency.
tions-in 1987, the President went out on the lawn Mr. Marcos is incapable of making the neces-
to swing a golf club a couple of times. Pictures of sarv reforms and should step own. said the in-
him following through, right knee gracefully p telligence committee chairman, Senator Dave
bent, duly appeared in local and foreign newspa- f Durenberger, Republican of Minnesota. Mr
pers - though a spokesman insisted that the Durenberger spoke after the committee's staff
cameras were there only by chance - and the 68- declared that the Philippines had less than three
To emphasize their contention that the Com-
munist rebels are surrendering and not the grow-
ing threat Washington sees, Government offi-
cials took reporters to the southern town of Dipo-
log, where they were shown a ceremonial pledge
of allegiance by 3,000 villagers and the format
surrender of 45 armed rebels. The pledge of alle-
giance was the same one recited daily by Filipino
children in school.
The official Philippine press agency described
the event as "virtually confirming" Mr. Mar-
cos's contention that the insurgents are "surren-
dering in droves." But the Pentagon estimates
the insurgents' New People's Army at 16,500,
with many more active supporters, and rebel
units are reported to be operating in all prov-
inces. Before the Senate Foreign Relations Com-
mittee last week, the State and Defense Depart-
ments declared that while this army was not
close to toppling Mr. Marcos, it could become
strong enough to produce a military stalement
and ',civil war on a massive scale" in as little as
three years.
Again the President had a rebuttal. In a long in-
terview last week, he said he could end the insur-
gency within a year provided he received the
proper financial aid from the United States.
Washington has been holding back in an effort to
force Mr. Marcos to clean up his Government, re-
shape the military and end the strong-arm tac-
tics, corruption and favoritism that have alien-
ated so many political groups and driven thou-
sands of Filipinos to the rebel side.
years to change things before unrest and rebel-
lion brought down the Government.
"We're trying to raise the noise level from the
United States," the Senator said earlier. The re-
sponse within the ornate chambers of Mr. Mar-
cos's Malacanang Palace seems to be to fight
noise with noise in the hope, perhaps, that once
the fuss dies down, Washington's attention will
move on to other things.
During the interview, Mr. Marcos frequently
referred to his long years in power and the ups
and downs of Filipino history he has seen. Insur-
gencies have come and gone, he noted, and so
have American campaigns for reform. Through
it all, he has followed his own political instincts
and held on to power for 20 years.
But neither Washington nor his opposition at
home believes he can rule much longer as he has
so far. In Manila, anti-Government protesters,
who find themselves and their opinions excluded
from the President's tight circle of decision-
makers, sometimes resort to what is known as a
noise barrage. At a designated hour all across
town, people honk their horns, bang pots and
pans, set off firecrackers, blow on paper party
horns and simply shout at the top of their voices.
Malacanang Palace practices a simple defense
against this tactic. It closes its doors and waits
until the noise is over. The trouble is that the
clamor goes on, and behind it the considerably
more deadly sound of guns seems to be getting
louder.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/02/27: CIA-RDP90-00965R000504660004-0