The Philippines Cory, Coups and Corruption

"No favors, no excuses." That was the motto Corazon Aquino vowed to follow after her People Power movement toppled the corrupt regime of Ferdinand Marcos. But in the tumultuous four years since Aquino became President, charges of incompetence and graft have increasingly tainted her own government. When rebellious soldiers launched the seventh abortive coup against Aquino on Dec. 1, their most pointed complaints focused on the administration's failure to deliver basic services and on allegations of corruption among the President's wealthy and influential relatives.

The charges, magnified by the Manila rumor mill, have inflicted serious political damage. While the President herself...