The Philippines: Death at the Burger Stand

The murder was the most shocking blow yet to the government of Philippine President Corazon Aquino. After calmly downing hamburgers at a snack stand in a Manila suburb, three young men, armed with .45-cal. pistols and an UZI submachine gun, opened fire on a passing silver-green Toyota Cressida. The hail of gunfire instantly killed the car's driver and fatally wounded his passenger, Local Governments Secretary Jaime Ferrer, 70, a prominent member of Aquino's Cabinet and nemesis of the country's Communist insurgents. The gunmen and two accomplices then roared away into the night.

The killing of Ferrer, the only sitting Cabinet member to be assassinated in Philippine history, traumatized the republic. No one claimed responsibility, but suspicion first turned to the Communist hit teams that have targeted policemen and soldiers in the recently stepped-up insurgency. Ferrer was hated by the armed left for his espousal of unarmed vigilante groups as a line of defense against the rebels. But some Filipinos noted that Ferrer's recent firing of a clutch of governors and mayors may have provoked a settling of scores. An even more widespread belief is that supporters of deposed President Ferdinand Marcos might be behind the killings. By week's end authorities claimed to have turned up two suspects, both of them believed to be Communist supporters.