The White House bluntly called on Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos to step down Monday, insisting on a ”peaceful transition to a new
government” but offering its longtime ally help in leaving the country.
In a statement approved by President Reagan, White House spokesman Larry Speakes declared that any last-minute attempt by Marcos to use force to remain in power would be ”futile.”
Speakes said Marcos had not requested U.S. help in leaving the Philippines as of Monday morning, but he added that ”we have adequate capacity” to use U.S. military aircraft at Clark Air Force Base on the islands to spirit Marcos out of his country.
”Attempts to prolong the life of the present regime by violence are futile,” Speakes said. ”A solution to this crisis can only be achieved through a peaceful transition to a new government.”
Reagan`s reluctant decision to ask Marcos to resign came early Monday amid reports that Marcos and Gen. Fabian Ver, his army chief of staff, had called on loyalists to arm themselves and defend his crumbling regime.
”We have received disturbing reports of possible attacks by forces loyal to General Ver against elements of Philippine forces that have come to the support of” rebel leaders opposing Marcos, Speakes said.
”We urge those contemplating such actions to stop. Marcos has pledged to refrain from initiating violence, and we appeal to him and to those loyal to him, as well as all other Filipino people, to continue to do so.”
Reagan consulted with his top national security advisers in the early morning hours before deciding to reverse his earlier stand and call on Marcos to step down, Speakes said. The announcement was made after hours of apparent stalemate between Marcos` regime and rebel leaders in the Philippines.
Speakes stressed that Reagan still ”values him as a friend and longtime ally and would certainly do anything possible to help him achieve a peaceful resolution of the situation.”
The spokesman refused to comment specifically on reports that rebel leaders were declaring a transition government headed by opposition presidential candidate Corazon Aquino, stressing that ”the future of the Philippine government is in the hands of the Filipino people.”
”A transition government would be something that the Filipino people would have to make that decision on,” Speakes said. ”. . . it has to be something that is supported by the majority of the Philippines, by the body politic of the Philippines, and to tell them otherwise would not be something the United States would want them to do.”
Reagan`s decision to cast Marcos adrift came one day after the President turned his back on the embattled Asian leader, warning Marcos against using violence to remain in power and threatening an immediate cutoff of all U.S. military aid to his regime.
Reacting to reports of impending confrontation in the Philippines, Reagan met at the White House with his top national security advisers and special envoy Philip Habib, then gave Marcos a strong nudge by admonishing him against using force to remain in power.
”An attempt to resolve this situation by force will surely result in bloodshed and casualties, further polarize Philippine society and cause untold damage to the relationship between our governments,” said a statement approved by Reagan and read by White House spokesman Larry Speakes.
In a late afternoon briefing at the White House, Speakes indicated the U.S. might offer Marcos asylum if it would help ”resolve the matter peacefully” but said that the U.S. had as yet received no request from the Asian leader.
After reporting to Reagan on his 10-day trip to the Philippines, Habib was preparing to return to the island nation, possibly this week, Speakes said.
Even as Speakes was recounting the moves taken by Reagan, reports were flowing in that forces loyal to Marcos had launched an attack, which apparently later fizzled out, on a military compound occupied by anti-Marcos rebels in the armed forces and on the thousands of civilians supporting the rebels.
”The President appealed earlier today to President Marcos to avoid an attack against other elements of the Philippine armed forces,” Speakes said. ”Regrettably, there are now reports of an attack.”
While Reagan`s move to cut off military aid Sunday was his strongest yet in response to the deepening crisis in the Philippines and seemed to cast his lot with the rebelling forces, Reagan continued to resist mounting political pressure at home to call directly and publicly on Marcos to surrender power.
Pressed by reporters, Speakes said, ”I don`t think it is our prerogative” to ask Marcos to step down, but he added that Reagan had offered ”frank and candid advice” to the Philippine strongman about how to best resolve the crisis.
Amid reports at the time that Marcos loyalists had used tear gas on civilians surrounding the rebel camp and were maneuvering tanks into place for an attack, Speakes said Reagan had strong objections to Marcos` use of U.S. military aid to maintain himself in power against a legitimate political opposition.
