Philippine Politics

Official disclaimers aside, Washington has obviously decided to become an active participant in the Philippine electoral process. The release of information last week about President Ferdinand E. Marcos' disgraceful war record is the best indicator of Washington's activity. Although laundered, the information was almost certainly provided by official sources. It is natural for many Americans to hope for the election of the opposition candidate, Corazon C. Aquino.

Bob Arum had it in his grasp, so close he could taste it. He had a shot at pulling off one of the world's greatest boxing promotions. Instead, Arum was dealt a cruel defeat at the hands of dishonest and unsavory people. No, not Showtime or HBO. The people who run Philippine politics. Tonight, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, three-division world champion Marco Antonio Barrera of Mexico will fight three-division world champion Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines.

William Howard Taft arrived in Manila at the turn of the century to head the Philippine Commission that was to decide the future of the country. He met insistent demands from the Filipino elite for immediate independence. Their argument: For self-government all that was required was a minority capable of ruling and a majority willing to be ruled, both of which the Filipinos had.

At least eight people were killed in two election-related incidents in the Philippines, police said Saturday. Police found the bodies of five supporters of the mayor of Batangas, a city south of Manila, who were abducted by gunmen Friday. Also Saturday, three people were killed in a clash between supporters of rival candidates in Calamba, a city in Laguna province, police said. The police chief in Batangas province, Senior Supt.

President Corazon Aquino surprised many here recently when she corralled an unlikely coalition of Philippine senators behind her plan to offer the United States a three-year lease at Subic Bay Naval Base. How did she do it? "We threatened them with clean elections," one presidential aide explained with a grin. He paused, then added, "That's a joke." Still, few are laughing as the Philippines prepares for elections May 11.

As his sister the president watched from behind, and his brother-in-law the senator worked the crowd, Philippine Congressman Jose Cojuangco Jr. appealed to several thousand hometown voters here last week for a new political order, free from nepotism and patronage. "We should not bring back the old system of patronage politics or, in the future, we will have another Marcos," Cojuangco declared, referring to Ferdinand E.

Each Administration since 1964 has been crippled by a major policy crisis that it could not overcome: Vietnam, Watergate, Iran. Now there is a looming foreign-policy disaster in the Philippines. The United States has major interests at stake in the Philippines. It hosts the two largest U.S. overseas air and naval bases in the world, at Clark Field and Subic Bay.

Bob Arum had it in his grasp, so close he could taste it. He had a shot at pulling off one of the world's greatest boxing promotions. Instead, Arum was dealt a cruel defeat at the hands of dishonest and unsavory people. No, not Showtime or HBO. The people who run Philippine politics. Tonight, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, three-division world champion Marco Antonio Barrera of Mexico will fight three-division world champion Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines.

Philippine President Joseph Estrada, hardening his stance not to resign despite threats of an impeachment trial, said Tuesday that opponents demanding that he quit over a bribery scandal were hallucinating. "That's unthinkable," Estrada said. "From the very start I never thought of resigning . . . never, never, never. Tell them to stop imagining things," the president said after speaking to the marine corps.

At least eight people were killed in two election-related incidents in the Philippines, police said Saturday. Police found the bodies of five supporters of the mayor of Batangas, a city south of Manila, who were abducted by gunmen Friday. Also Saturday, three people were killed in a clash between supporters of rival candidates in Calamba, a city in Laguna province, police said. The police chief in Batangas province, Senior Supt.

Philippine President Joseph Estrada, hardening his stance not to resign despite threats of an impeachment trial, said Tuesday that opponents demanding that he quit over a bribery scandal were hallucinating. "That's unthinkable," Estrada said. "From the very start I never thought of resigning . . . never, never, never. Tell them to stop imagining things," the president said after speaking to the marine corps.

Moving to end growing political uncertainty here, former Defense Secretary Fidel V. Ramos, who once helped extinguish Philippine democracy and later helped restore it, finally claimed victory Saturday in the bitterly fought May 11 presidential election and pledged to "bridge the gaps that divide us."

President Corazon Aquino surprised many here recently when she corralled an unlikely coalition of Philippine senators behind her plan to offer the United States a three-year lease at Subic Bay Naval Base. How did she do it? "We threatened them with clean elections," one presidential aide explained with a grin. He paused, then added, "That's a joke." Still, few are laughing as the Philippines prepares for elections May 11.

William Howard Taft arrived in Manila at the turn of the century to head the Philippine Commission that was to decide the future of the country. He met insistent demands from the Filipino elite for immediate independence. Their argument: For self-government all that was required was a minority capable of ruling and a majority willing to be ruled, both of which the Filipinos had.

As his sister the president watched from behind, and his brother-in-law the senator worked the crowd, Philippine Congressman Jose Cojuangco Jr. appealed to several thousand hometown voters here last week for a new political order, free from nepotism and patronage. "We should not bring back the old system of patronage politics or, in the future, we will have another Marcos," Cojuangco declared, referring to Ferdinand E.

Cardinal Jaime Sin, the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholics who make up the overwhelming majority in the Philippines, seemed more politician than priest as he stood before 10,000 worshipers just after dawn. As he sermonized from the pulpit Friday on the 400th anniversary of the historic Quiapo Church in downtown Manila, the cardinal openly conceded that he was campaigning.

Cardinal Jaime Sin, the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholics who make up the overwhelming majority in the Philippines, seemed more politician than priest as he stood before 10,000 worshipers just after dawn. As he sermonized from the pulpit Friday on the 400th anniversary of the historic Quiapo Church in downtown Manila, the cardinal openly conceded that he was campaigning.

There has been considerable speculation about who will win the Philippine election tomorrow and about whether the balloting will be conducted honestly. Perhaps the results of a poll I conducted for the Marcos opposition in April of 1978 will shed some light on both questions. Of course, conditions may be different now, but I suspect that some things about the way elections are conducted in dictatorships never change.

There has been considerable speculation about who will win the Philippine election tomorrow and about whether the balloting will be conducted honestly. Perhaps the results of a poll I conducted for the Marcos opposition in April of 1978 will shed some light on both questions. Of course, conditions may be different now, but I suspect that some things about the way elections are conducted in dictatorships never change.

Each Administration since 1964 has been crippled by a major policy crisis that it could not overcome: Vietnam, Watergate, Iran. Now there is a looming foreign-policy disaster in the Philippines. The United States has major interests at stake in the Philippines. It hosts the two largest U.S. overseas air and naval bases in the world, at Clark Field and Subic Bay.