The Philippines Two Small Steps Forward

Shortly after dawn late last week, the ramrod-stiff figure of General Fabian Ver, the armed forces Chief of Staff, arrived at a govern ment office building in downtown Manila to surrender himself. Two days earlier the Tanodbayan--a four-member panel of ombudsmen--had indicted Ver, 24 other members of the military and one civil ian for their alleged involvement in the 1983 murders of Opposition Leader Benigno ("Ninoy") Aquino Jr. and of Rolando Galman, the man said by the military to have killed Aquino. Ver brought $1,600 to post as bail, then left before any photographers showed up. Ver, a cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos, was once considered the second most powerful man in the Philippines. Now his authority has been seriously weakened. With Ver's indictment, the Tanodbayan supported the findings of last fall's majority report of the Agrava board, which had been appointed by the government to investigate the deaths of Aquino and Galman. Four of the five members of the commission--all except Chairwoman Corazon Agrava--had implicated the same 26 men who were indicted last week. Ver and the officer he assigned to investigate the killing, Major General Prospero Olivas, were among eight men named by the Tanodbayan as accessories for their part in concealing evidence of the crime.

The panel's findings, particularly in regard to Ver, resulted largely from his testimony to the Agrava board last April. According to the Tanodbayan report, that testimony was found "to be of doubtful veracity or at times . . . false." In addition to those named as accessories, 17 soldiers, including Aquino's military escorts and Brigadier General Luther Custodio, who was responsible for security at Manila airport, were charged as principals in the conspiracy and ordered held without bail. Herminio Gosuico, a Manila businessman, was named as an accomplice. Said Agapito ("Butz") Aquino, 45, younger brother of the slain opposition leader: "What is lacking is the mastermind."

The indictments were not unexpected; if the panel had decided that the 26 men should not be prosecuted, there would likely have been a national outcry. Conviction, however, is another matter. The accused will be arraigned this week and their joint trial may begin shortly thereafter. As many as 26 lawyers are expected to cross-examine witnesses before the three judges of the Sandiganbayan. "This is just a preview to a whitewash," said a Manila businessman after the indictments. Aquilino Pimentel, leader of the Democratic Party, has called Ver's indictment a ploy "to get acquitted and prevent any further charges against him." Said a member of Marcos' Cabinet: "If Ver ever gets reinstated, it will only be for two weeks, and it will only be to save face. So after that, he will be retired."

In the meantime the anti-Marcos forces received a boost last week when another exiled opposition leader, former Senator Jovito Salonga, 62, returned from a four-year stay in the U.S. The government had taken some of the drama from his arrival, first by dropping the subversion charges against him only two days before his homecoming, and then by inviting Salonga's family to participate with the military and other civilians in enforcing tight security precautions at the airport. Said General Hermilo Ahorro, deputy police chief: "It all went very smoothly this time."