The Philippines

By William R. Doerner

The lines began forming shortly before 7 a.m. and grew steadily longer as the sun rose higher. The wait was an inconvenience for many who were taking time off from work or household duties to vote. Still, the turnout at some polling stations was so heavy that officials ran out of ballots before closing time. For many Filipinos there was something special about casting a ballot for their nation's proposed new constitution, a sense of return to the spirit of People Power nearly a year before. Michael O. Bautista, a retired carpenter, queued up at a schoolhouse in the city of Olongapo with a tape recorder full of Tagalog love songs. "This," he said, "is a day for happiness."

By the time it had ended, the largest electoral turnout in Philippine history had resoundingly endorsed the new constitution by a vote of more than 3 to 1. When the plebiscite results were proclaimed Saturday, they showed the document had been approved by some 16.6 million votes, with about 5.2 million opposed, for a winning margin of 76%. The outcome was a personal triumph for President Corazon Aquino, who had turned the plebiscite into a nationwide referendum on her government. "We have surprised the world again," said the President. "The tremendous vote of confidence of Feb. 2 reaffirms the now unquestionable legitimacy and democratic power of our government."

Under the charter, which goes into effect immediately after the results are certified by the national Commission on Elections, Aquino will continue serving as President until mid-1992. Because the country has been without a legislature since Aquino dissolved the National Assembly in March, elections for a new 24-member Senate and a 250-member House of Representatives have been scheduled for May. The document also contains sweeping guarantees of human rights, although it has been criticized by some legal observers for adhering too closely to Roman Catholic Church dogma. For example, the charter bans abortions outright.

Aquino's overwhelming victory was all the more remarkable because it followed several weeks of political unrest. On Jan. 22 a violent clash between soldiers and pro-land-reform demonstrators left at least a dozen dead. A week later, a tense three-day coup attempt ended when rebel soldiers surrendered. The President's margin of victory forced even her most bitter opponents to concede that it represented the popular will. "We accept the verdict of the Filipino people," said former Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, who led the rightist opposition under the banner of the Nationalista Party. He added, "We did our share in making democracy work by taking the other side of the issue." Declared Jose Castro, a leader of the leftist Bayan Party: "We will abide with the masses' decision."

Only former President Ferdinand Marcos, who was prevented by the U.S. two weeks ago from returning to the Philippines from Hawaii during the aborted coup, refused to concede the plebiscite's finality. Aquino won the election, he charged, through "massive vote buying, cheating and tampering of returns."

In fact, by past Filipino standards, the vote was remarkably free of bloodshed or fraud. The independent election-watchdog organization NAMFREL counted only 40 voting irregularities in more than 86,000 polling stations scattered throughout the country. Even more striking, despite the recent breakdown in negotiations between the Communist rebels and the government, the cease-fire that went into effect between the two sides last Dec. 10 held through the election.

One ominous note marred the outcome of the plebiscite for Aquino. Voters among the 250,000-member armed forces, who cast their ballots on military bases, approved the constitution by about only 60%, a far slimmer margin than was voted by the population at large. More than 50% of air force voters turned thumbs down on the document. Aquino, for her part, sought to downplay the military's lack of enthusiasm, contending that a 60% show of support still amounted to a landslide. Perhaps. But disaffected military officers have been implicated in both of the coup attempts staged against Aquino in July and November. The vote clearly indicated that a sizable block within the armed . forces continues to oppose her. Admitted Deputy Defense Minister Wilson Gamboa: "This reveals that the military continues to be disappointed with the government."

While passage of the constitution certainly enhanced Aquino's prestige, it also placed some new constraints on her. So far, she has been reluctant to undertake any major initiatives on land reform or to boost the economy without the support of a constitution. But along with that legitimacy will come a new legislature, which could slow down or even frustrate her plans. Notes Alex Magno, a political analyst who teaches at the University of the Philippines: "By the time the Aquino presidency has developed the confidence to introduce innovative policies, it has lost the extraordinary powers necessary to give those policies a crucial kickoff."

By winning the plebiscite, Aquino will also lose a part of her political family. At least three of her 26-member Cabinet, including Presidential Adviser Aquilino Pimentel, are expected to resign in time to meet the March 15 filing deadline as candidates for Congress. In the meantime, Filipinos will be preparing for the Feb. 25 anniversary of the revolution that brought Aquino to power. Last week, as a gesture of reconciliation, the President telephoned Enrile and asked him to serve on the planning committee for the event. But their political falling-out in recent months has clearly taken its toll. Replying that he was "grateful and honored" to receive Aquino's invitation, the opposition leader and former Defense Minister nonetheless declined it.

With reporting by Dean Brelis and Nelly Sindayen/Manila