U.S. criticises acquittal

Press, 4 December 1985, Page 9

U.S. criticises acquittal

NZPA-Reuter Washington The United States State Department yesterday sharply questioned the acquittal of Philippines Armed Forces Chief of Staff, General Fabian Ver and 25 others in the murder of the Opposition leader, Benigno Aqiuno. The department also questioned the decision by President Ferdinand Marcos to reinstate General Ver, who had been on leave during the trial. A department spokesman, Mr Charles Redman, said the Agrava Commission, which he termed a “board of respected, independentminded” Philippines citizens, last year had “refuted”

the Philippines’ Government claim that Aquino was killed by a lone Communist gunman, Rolando Galman. The Agrava board said the military was involved in the airport shooting in 1983 as Aquino returned from exile in the United States. The Court in Manila which aquitted General Ver and the other defendants said Galman, acting along, had killed Aquino. Mr Redman said the United States strongly backed thorough-going military reform in the Philippines, a key element of which was new, re-en-ergised leadership. “How the reinstatement squares with President Mar-

cos’ professed desire to initiate serious reforms... is a question only he can answer,” Mr Redman said. Within hours of the decision by the three-judge court, General Ver, aged 65, a kinsman and confidante of President Marcos asked for his post back. He had been on leave of absence since October last year when the official inquiry named him and the others as indictable for the Aquino and Galman murders. General Ver also called for a special meeting with President Marcos and other service chiefs to discuss what he said were, “certainly security matters of a

highly sensitive and extremely urgent nature that it is incumbent upon me to bring to the President’s knowledge.” Mrs Corazon Aquino, aged 52, widow of Benigno Aquino, said yesterday she would be a candidate in Philippines presidential elections expected on February 7. *T will never be able to forgive myself if I will have to live with the knowledge that I could have done something and I did not do it,” said Mrs Aquino. Her announcement came 10 hours after President Marcos signed into law a Cabinet bill setting the poll for February.