The Philippines: Yellow and Red for Aquino

Moderates and radicals unite for a statuesque tribute

All day they had rallied under the hot sun, a vast throng swelling to embrace 450,000 people. It had been a peaceful demonstration, but now as darkness fell, a few among the crowd became restless. Gathered in Makati, Metro Manila's high-rise business district, they began setting fire to automobile tires and piles of yellow confetti. With no police or soldiers in sight, predictions by the government of President Ferdinand Marcos that the daylong rally would culminate in violence seemed about to come true.

Suddenly a...