U.S. Military Aid to Philippines

I would like to comment on Ben Kerkvliet’s article (Editorial Pages, June 14), in which he is asking that the United States end military aid to the Philippines as well as support for President Ferdinand E. Marcos because it only weakens the democratization effort in our country.

It is my belief that the United States is not supporting President Marcos but rather the democratic processes for which he stands. The aid President Reagan is proposing is not for the personal benefit of President Marcos, it is for the 53 million Filipinos as well as for the protection of democracy and American interests on that side of the globe. If Marcos dies tomorrow, I believe that Reagan will still go on with his proposal to assist the Philippines.

I disagree with the author’s statement that what we Filipinos need is “better government” and that this cannot be attained “by giving more fire power,” meaning more military aid. These two cannot be separated. The Marcos administration is and has been working for the establishment of a more efficient government. But this is not enough to combat an ideological group whose objective is to overthrow the present government through armed revolution, and, therefore, destroy the present democratic system. There is a need for armed forces that are properly trained, motivated, fed, paid, clothed and armed to fight this opponent successfully. And this is where a little assistance can help.

An ideology different from ours threatens many nations all over the world and if the United States cannot support a serious defender of the democratic system like President Marcos, it has no business rallying behind the contras of Nicaragua.

The litany of corruption and abuses cited by the author is unfair to us Filipinos. This is not our way of life. The majority of our public servants are honest and this is also true of our military men. Corruption and human rights abuses are happening all over the world in all forms of government and the Filipino people are definitely doing something to correct these shortcomings. We share with other freedom-loving countries their ethical and moral standards as well as their love for liberty, justice and peace.

WILFRIDO B. VILLARAMA

Cambridge, Mass.

Villarama is on official leave from the Philippine government where he works as assistant minister in the Ministry of Labor and Employment. He is now enrolled at Harvard University as a Mason Fellow in their Kennedy School of Government working for a master’s degree in public administration.