More aid for Philippines?

Press, 1 February 1986, Page 10

More aid for Philippines?

NZPA-NYT Washington The President of the United States, Mr Ronald Reagan, has said the United States will consider "significantly larger” economic and military aid for the Philippines if the . upcoming election is credible and the new Government undertakes serious reforms. “If the will of the Filipino people is expressed in an election that Filipinos accept as credible — and if whoever is elected undertakes fundamental economic, political and military reforms —- we should consider, in consultation with the Congress, a significantly larger programme of economic and military assistance for the Philippines for the next five years,” said Mr Reagan. That would be above the aid the United States was giving, he said. An Administration official said that the statement was designed to strengthen the importance

of the United States observer delegation going to the Philippines for the election and “give it the Presidential imprimatur.” The observer delegation will be led by Senator Richard Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,,,. The names of members of the bipartisan delegation, which will probably be of about 20 people, ; will be announced in the next few days. ■ - What concerned the Administration, officials said, was the potential' ' for chaos in the Philippines that would lead to an eventual totalitarian takeover. "Whoever wins this election is still going to face major problems,” an Administration official said. “The Philippines , has a badly deteriorated economy. It has a dangerous Communist insurgency, a most vicious one, one that would really spell the end of all hopes for human rights in the Philippines and for the future of that

country if it wins. “It is going to require significant efforts by whoever wins this election, to defeat the insur- / gency,” the official said. The election pits the Philippines’ President, Mr Ferdinand ‘MarcoS, ; ; against - Corazon 1 -Aquino, the' ' widow I!i 'of Benigno' Aquino, an opponent of Mr Marcos, tfho’; killed bf the - Manila airport in August,'l9B3. The United States has refused. to take sides in the election but has instead urged fundamental changes.: “Our policy is not to emphasise personalities, but to emphasise institutional reform,” the American official said. \ • The Administration had no plans to reduce military aid to the Philipp pines, he said,’even if Mr Marcos won and failed to spur the reforms sought by the United States.

Officials declined to speculate on how much, more aid would be'sought* for the Philippines if reforms were made. In recent years, Congress, con-

cerned- about corruptibn in the Marcos Government, has pared down aid. Last year’s aid request of -SUSIQ2.2 - million ($194.2 million) ’in military aid was reduced by Congress to 1U554.7 wab, 'shifted ;to« economic 5U5184.2 million - ($350 million). ; : y Asked what typesj. of reform the . United States sought in the Philippines, the Administiatidn bfflcim said, “The kinds of things we’re talking about pre military reform, which means both retirement of overstaying 'generals, form of military leader? ship, more emphasis' in the militaryop promoting people basejt on their performance and ability to combat the insurgents.” Economics,- • .reforms meant an “ end to the

domination of large monopolies — many of them allegedly controlled by close associates of Mr Marcos and his wife, Imelda. 1 1 -