Ferdinand Marcos Dies

So dead is the man who was so obsessed with what to own. Need we bother much how, when and where Marcos will get his stone? While millions of Filipinos continue to suffer from the ills he left behind we can only help find solutions and contribute to our nation's recovery. Had Marcos done what needed to be done during his long reign and not left us with dark legacies, anyone would have wished God to spare him this fate. But with the way Marcos absolutely ruled and corrupted our country a great many will agree that his passing is 20 years late.

In the editorial you concluded that Marcos will be remembered in his nation's history "if only as a name to be reviled by generations of Filipinos yet unborn." I could not help recalling that President Bush, not many years ago, while he was Ronald Reagan's vice president, told Marcos that America admired his form of government. I have found no mention of this in The Times or anywhere else. It is as though George Bush had never said it. National memories are very strange things.

A Philippine opposition group that seeks the removal of U.S. military bases agreed on a plan for selecting a presidential candidate if ailing President Ferdinand E. Marcos dies. The Philippine constitution provides for elections in 60 to 70 days if the president dies or is incapacitated. The opposition plan calls for nine left-wing and moderate contenders to vote for a single candidate to succeed Marcos and to abide by the choice of a three-member "convenor's group" in event of a deadlock.