THE PRESS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 197? Election in the Philippines

Press, 22 February 1978, Page 18

THE PRESS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 197? Election in the Philippines

President Ferdinand Marcos will not be giving up his effective one-man rule in the Philippines when, in April, that country holds the first General Election since martial law was introduced in 1972. In some ways his position will be enhanced: he will add the title of Prime Minister to his present title, he will have the say over how long the Interim National Legislature will serve, and will have the power to abolish the Assembly. These conditions have been formally approved in a referendum held on December 17 which resulted in a “yes'’ vote of 89.3 per cent. The President s opponents, having called for a boycott of the referendum on the ground that it was not a fair test of opinion, had to admit that their campaign failed: only 1.3 per cent of voters abstained

The election is part of President Marcos’s plan to implement what he calls a return to normalisation His introduction of martial law was intended to deal with the Muslim rebellion in the south, the irresponsibility of the political feuding, and the gun law that prevailed in the Philippines Even many of those who agreed at the time that something had to be done have seen the continuation of martial law as a method used by the President to perpetuate his own rule. Picking the winner of an election is one of the trials a newspaper cannot avoid: it is probably safe to assume, however, that not a great deal will change after the April election.

President Marcos will have returned to Filipinos some sav in the running of their country. Elections were once corrupt and fierce but the Filipinos are reported to be missing them. So President Marcos might quieten some domestic criticism. The leader of the main

Opposition, Mr Benigno Aquino, has been in jail for some years and the election may decide his future, which the President would apparently prefer to be in exile. But the main aim of the elections seems to be directed more at foreign opinion, particularly that of the United States, than at satisfying internal criticism. The reports of torture, of the holding of political prisoners, the very existence of martial law and the suspension of elections, have brought foreign disapproval. President Marcos has gone to considerable lengths to try to demonstrate that the Philippines is not one of those countries against which the strictures of President Carter’s human rights comments can be laid. Largely he has failed to convince, but the election may be more successful.

In spite of the backing which the President has, the Opposition should not be short of sticks with which to beat the Government. Manila has one million slum-dwellers and the country faces a fearsome increase in population, amounting to 2.6 per cent a year. The population is 85 per cent Roman Catholic, but the Church has been divided in its approaches to social questions. Families of 10 or more are common. There is much resentment to the law which bans divorce. President Marcos has managed to exploit some of the differences between more liberal priests and others. At the end of 1968 two American missionaries were expelled, radio stations have been closed and publications stopped. Church workers, both liberal and conservative, have been arrested. It is doubtful, however, whether the Roman Catholic Church will protest enough to have any serious effect on the outcome of the election.