The World - News from Jan. 8, 1985

Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos, trying to stifle rumors that he is seriously ill and is preparing to leave office, said local elections next year and presidential polling scheduled in 1987 will go ahead as planned. Marcos, 67, in his 21st year of rule, has already announced he will run for reelection. However, he has rarely appeared in public in the last few months, and opposition leaders and newspaper columnists have speculated that he might call an unscheduled vote this year and name his wife, Imelda, as his ruling party’s presidential candidate.