Coup rumours precede Aquino aid trip

Press, 10 November 1986, Page 10

Coup rumours precede Aquino aid trip

NZPA-Reuter Manila

President Corazon Aquino goes to Japan today, leaving the Philippines’ military on full alert and personally warned not to stage a coup in her absence. Publicly, Mrs Aquino dismisses the latest coup rumours as something she hears each time she leaves the country — and often when she just goes home for the night.

But informed sources say she takes the rumours extremely seriously, and the “Philippine Daily Inquirer” reported yesterday that Mrs Aquino had ordered Presidential guards to “repel all predatory forces approaching Malacanang premises (her official palace) under any pretext.” The paper said Mrs Aquino did this after receiving intelligence information that the Defence Minister, Juan Ponce Enrile, had ordered a coup while she is in Japan seeking SUSI. 6 billion ($3.2 billion) in new aid for the impoverished country. The coup rumours were just as persistent on September 15 when Mrs

Aquino left on a highly successful United States tour, and there was one comic-opera attempt in July when a leading hotel was captured briefly by some troops, Informed sources also said Mrs Aquino had personally asked Cardinal Jaime Sin, the nation’s leading churchman, not to go to Rome today because of the coup threats. Cardinal Sin at first agreed, but changed his mind when he understood that Mrs Aquino herself thought it was safe for her to go to Japan, the sources said. The President has spent

days talking to Armed Forces chiefs and military officers, warning them not to stage a coup. The talks included a two-hour meeting with Mr Enrile on Friday, and Mrs Aquino said yesterday that he had promised to do all he could to prevent a coup.

“I just said ‘Just assure me that nothing happens while I am in Japan.’ I told him that and he said that he was going to do his best,” said Mrs Aquino. Some Manila newspapers have said that a pro-Enrile group in the Army was talked out of staging a coup last week by the Armed Forces chief, Fidel Ramos. Mr Enrile and General Ramos led the civilianbacked military revolt against Ferdinand Marcos that swept Mrs Aquino to power in February, and she retained Mr Enrile as Defence Minister. He has since become increasingly critical of the Government for its policy of seeking a peace settlement with communist guerrillas. He also has said Mrs Aquino’s administration contains leftists. Japanese officials in

Tokyo say the SUSI. 6 billion sought by Mrs Aquino is unrealistic and unlikely to be granted, although a request for SUS24S million for a coal-fired power plant will be approved.

The Government has staggering economic problems and Mrs Aquino hopes to convince the Japanese to remove some tariffs and other restrictions on Philippine products. igin f:

jucio, ranging ;rom bananas to coconut oil, papayas and pineapples.

Trade between the two countries totalled only SUS2.IB billion last year, against SUS 3.6 billion in 1981. In 1973, the Philippines sent Japan 1.4 million cases of canned pineapple, compared with 90,000 cases this year. In spite of the trade decline, Japan remains second only to the United States as the Philippines’ biggest trading partner. Negotiations to reschedule Manila’s SUS 26 billion foreign debt collapsed in New York at the week-end and Mrs Aquino will meet some Japanese bankers involved in the talks during her Tokyo visit.