The Philippines Fighting Back

• Share

Moments after landing at Manila International Airport last week following a four-day trip to Tokyo, Philippine President Corazon (Cory) Aquino spoke frankly of the fear and tension she felt during her voyage. "My visit to Japan was undertaken with some hesitation," she said. "I was leaving Manila while it was seething with dark rumors."

Although there were no political upheavals during her absence, some observers had wondered before her departure whether Aquino would return as President. During recent weeks the Philippines has been rife with talk of rebellion, and the perfect time for a military coup seemed to be when she was away.

At the center of the controversy was Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, whose criticism of Aquino's presidential performance has been both loud and lengthy. Two weeks ago a plot was uncovered that would have stripped Aquino of her power while retaining her as a political figurehead. Even though it hardly seemed the time for the President to leave the country, Aquino apparently concluded that canceling the trip would only give credence to coup rumors.

Nonetheless, the President was worried enough about what might happen during her absence that she asked Jaime Cardinal Sin, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines, to delay a trip to Rome until she returned. Sin played a crucial role during the February uprising that toppled former President Ferdinand Marcos when he turned a church-run radio station over to the opposition and urged people to go into the streets in protest. Aquino told the Cardinal last week, "I'm not here, you're not here. Pity our poor people."

The purpose of Aquino's visit to Japan was to open the way for increased trade between the two countries, court Japanese investment and seek economic assistance. In meetings with Japanese business leaders, the President won over her audience by saying that her government considered Japan its model and inspiration for economic development. To increase exports, Aquino spent time touting the virtues of Philippine garments, food products and electronic parts. As part of her campaign for more investment, she promised Japanese businessmen that her government would keep taxes low and let them repatriate profits. Aquino's pitches for increased Japanese aid met with some success. By the time she left Tokyo, she had obtained a $250 million loan for a coal-fired power station, part of a grant-and-aid package that Aquino optimistically predicted may total as much as $625 million. Aquino called the promises of economic assistance a "very clear message to the Filipino people that the Japanese government strongly supports the Aquino government."