Philippines Government

For three decades, actor George Hamilton's associations with the rich and famous women of the world--from Lynda Bird Johnson to Vanessa Redgrave and Elizabeth Taylor--have landed his name in the pages of international glamour and gossip magazines.

An undercover FBI agent on a case of weapons smuggling from the Philippines to the United States denied a defense attorney's allegation that he paid for sex for himself and the suspects using taxpayer dollars. The agent, a 16-year veteran who was not identified by name in court documents because he is working undercover in a separate investigation, in a sworn declaration strongly denied allegations of what a public defender contended was "outrageous government misconduct" and should be grounds for the case to be thrown out. Federal prosecutors have acknowledged that the government paid for $14,500 in expenses incurred by the agent for entertainment, cocktails and tips over the course of the investigation.

The Philippine government, seeking to recover billions of dollars allegedly stolen from the country by its late president, Ferdinand E. Marcos and his wife, Imelda, won a major victory Monday when a Los Angeles federal judge placed new spending restraints on the former first lady. Under the order by U.S. District Judge Mariana R. Pfaelzer, Imelda Marcos will have to seek court approval of any expenditure exceeding $10,000, except for the payment of attorneys fees and court costs.

Roel Robles had been on Pagasa Island for less than a week when he found himself wondering, with something like despair: Is it possible for one white-beached, palm-studded place to be both heaven and hell, paradise and prison? "When you first get there, you see this little island resort," said the 30-year-old sergeant in the Philippine National Police. "Then after about five days, something snaps. You begin telling yourself, 'I have to get out of here -- now, today.'

A luxury condominium on New York City's Fifth Avenue that was turned over to the Philippines government by an associate of deposed President Ferdinand E. Marcos was sold for $3.7 million. An official of the Philippine Commission on Good Government said the seven-bedroom apartment on the 43rd floor of the Olympic Towers, next to St. Patrick's Cathedral, was surrendered to the Philippine government in 1986 by Marcos associate Antonio Floirendo as part of a deal to avoid prosecution.

The Philippines government lifted its five-year ban on the return of Imelda Marcos and said the widow of the late President Ferdinand Marcos is free to come home from exile in the United States. A government spokesman in Manila said a ban on the body of the late president, who died in September, 1989, in Hawaii, will remain in force. The spokesman added, however, that tax fraud charges will be filed against Mrs. Marcos and her children.

Envoy Supports Economic Reforms: The new U.S. envoy to Manila gave a cautious endorsement of foreign investment in the Philippines, saying prosperity hinges on economic reforms pledged by the Ramos Administration. "The preconditions for an economic takeoff are either in place or in design," Ambassador Richard Solomon said. "For the Philippines government, economic reforms are the order of the day," said Solomon, who became ambassador a month ago.

Bonfires of burning tires lit the night sky, and scowling guards armed with assault rifles checked everyone who entered Rodolfo Aguinaldo's bunker-like concrete command center--surrounded by a 12-foot-high barbed wire fence. Inside, President Corazon Aquino's latest nightmare was holding court. "I'm a pain in the everything," Aguinaldo told visitors with a grin. "In Manila, they get constipated every time they think of me."

Reclusive tobacco heiress Doris Duke lives in a 30-room mansion on a 2,700-acre estate with 42 miles of paved road in New Jersey. Once known as "the richest little girl in the world," she oversees the powerful Duke Charitable Foundation and possesses what is said to be one of the world's most extensive private art collections. She is worth at least $875 million. She may be history's least likely bail bondsman.

When times have gotten tough in the past for Muslim extremists in the southern Philippines, where the army has been on the offensive for a week in search of 17 kidnap victims, the rebels have always had a nearby haven. That refuge was Malaysia's Sabah state on Borneo, not much more than an hour's speedboat ride from some of the hundreds of islands and islets that make up the Philippines' Sulu province.

One day after a series of bombings left 14 people dead and about 60 others injured in the southern Philippines, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo vowed Monday to fight terrorism and ordered a crackdown on those suspected of trying to destabilize the region. "This is a crime against the Filipino people," she said of the bombings. "This evil will not go unpunished."

In the five months since Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo took power, she has been tested at the barricades, at the ballot box and by Islamic rebels in the jungle. Her response has been consistent: tough talk and, if needed, military force. Sworn into office the same day as President Bush, Arroyo assumed power amid turmoil and has moved from one crisis to another ever since.

Ousted Philippine President Joseph Estrada voted from detention Monday in elections seen as a referendum on his successor, who was swept to power by street protests four months ago. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was sworn in Jan. 20 as Estrada packed to leave the presidential palace amid a political crisis over corruption allegations. Political analysts say Arroyo's coalition candidates need a strong showing in the race for 13 of the Senate's 24 seats.

One president of the Philippines lives in a palace, commands the armed forces and rules with the blessing of the Supreme Court. The other president lives in a prison, faces the death penalty and can only wish that winning election was enough to stay in power.

New Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo confronted coup rumors by telephoning a general Thursday, the same day that her defense secretary announced his resignation. Orlando Mercado's departure was a blow to Arroyo's administration, especially since she has made clean government a top priority. Her predecessor, Joseph Estrada, was forced out last week amid allegations that he amassed a fortune through bribes and kickbacks. Although Mercado had planned to resign by Feb.

New Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo consolidated her grip on power when a coalition backing her wrested control of the House of Representatives from supporters of deposed leader Joseph Estrada. The coalition elected minority leader Feliciano Belmonte, an Arroyo supporter, as the new speaker. Grappling with a depleted treasury and volatile markets, Arroyo also won pledges of support from the United States and international financial institutions.

Former Philippines first lady Imelda Marcos was back in court Monday at her racketeering trial, wearing heart and blood pressure monitors. She had left the courtroom pale and sobbing during testimony Friday and her illness was diagnosed as high blood pressure. She sat holding rosary beads as U.S. Customs Service official Leslie Kinney described a suitcase seized from the Marcoses containing negotiable stocks.

Actor George Hamilton, linked by federal prosecutors to some of the alleged financial schemes of Imelda Marcos, testified Tuesday that the former Philippine first lady was "a great friend" who prevented his mother from committing suicide after his brother's death. In a voice choked with emotion, Hamilton described his brother's long and futile battle with kidney and liver disease and said that Mrs. Marcos invited his despondent mother, Ann Hamilton, to visit the Philippines after his death.

The 1986 "people power" revolution in the Philippines was a seminal event in modern history. When the Philippine people took to the streets to get rid of Ferdinand E. Marcos, others watched and followed. Sometimes, those efforts failed, as in Myanmar, and China in 1989. But people power also spread successfully to South Korea in 1987, through Eastern Europe in 1989, to the Soviet Union in 1991 and to Yugoslavia last fall.

Newly installed Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo faced the first challenge to her legitimacy Monday as the man she ousted, Joseph Estrada, contended that he was merely on temporary leave. Estrada has not formally resigned, and in a letter to Congress that was made public Monday, he said he had appointed Arroyo acting president to rule in his place. Estrada's government collapsed over the weekend, and he surrendered the presidential palace to Arroyo.