The Philippines One Step Back, One Step Forward

By Jill Smolowe

Just one week after her return from a triumphant nine-day tour of the U.S., Philippine President Corazon (Cory) Aquino seemed about to hit another home run. This time her government was close to signing a 30-day cease-fire agreement with the Communist guerrillas of the New People's Army. But then events took an unexpected turn. At 8:45 p.m. last Monday, Philippine security officers seized Rodolfo Salas, a top N.P.A. commander, outside a hospital in Manila. The military hailed the arrest, which ended a 13-year hunt for Salas, as its biggest catch in almost a decade. Lawyers for the rebels had a quick response: release Salas, or give up all hope of a cease-fire.

The suspension of peace talks was quickly followed by another setback. Last Monday, by a vote of 51 to 43, the U.S. Senate rejected a proposal for $200 million in emergency aid to the Philippines. The naysayers, primarily Republicans, cited budgetary constraints and concerns about the future of two American military bases in the Philippines whose leases expire in 1991. The House of Representatives had approved a $200 million aid package just five hours after Aquino electrified Congress with a stirring address. But Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole argued, "There were no hearings in the House. It was just a knee-jerk proposal."

That, however, was not the final word. Three days later Democrats tried to revive the aid by proposing that funds be taken from a $300 million appropriation earmarked for four Central American countries. Again, Dole led a Republican countercharge, quashing the proposal by a 57-to-41 vote. But on Friday, the Senate had a change of heart. This time legislators crafted a measure that draws $200 million from a wide range of foreign aid accounts to minimize the impact on individual programs. The new package sailed through the Senate by a vote of 82 to 14.

In Manila, Aquino hailed last week's arrest of Salas as a "commendable ( accomplishment on the part of our law-enforcement agencies." Salas, 38, was captured outside the Philippine General Hospital after receiving treatment for sinusitis and a goiter condition. He was being helped into a car by Josefina Cruz, his wife, and Jose Concepcion, his driver and bodyguard, when the police closed in to arrest the trio. Officials claim that Salas took part in a 1974 ambush in which five U.S. Navy officers were killed. The government last week charged him with rebellion, a crime punishable by death.

Rebel lawyers contended that the arrest was a deliberate attempt to sabotage the peace talks. Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile denied the charge and insisted the capture was something of a fluke. He said security officers had been conducting a "routine check" into reported guerrilla comings and goings when they stumbled on Salas. The story seemed disingenuous. Shortly before Enrile's explanation, the chief of the national police told reporters that the arrests had followed four months of surveillance.

The conflicting reports fueled speculation that Aquino's government may be splitting over the question of how to put down the Communists. If nothing else, the political sniping is certain to add some color to a book of memoirs that Aquino has agreed to produce for Random House Inc. As the contract was announced last week, Random House Chairman Robert Bernstein indulged in a bit of early promotion. The memoirs should be a hit, he said, because "whether a leader this moral can survive is fascinating."

With reporting by Michael Duffy/Washington and Nelly Sindayen/Manila