Laxalt Says Marcos Got President’s Message

President Reagan’s special emissary to the Philippines, Sen. Paul Laxalt, said Saturday that his diplomatic mission to Manila convinced President Ferdinand E. Marcos that Reagan is personally concerned about the country’s military, political and economic stability.

Denying a New York Times report that Marcos had rebuffed him and that he returned to Washington empty-handed, Laxalt, a Nevada Republican who is a close friend of Reagan, said the Philippine leader “listened carefully and is now absolutely convinced of the President’s concerns.”

Fair Elections Promised

He added that Marcos, who has ruled for 20 years including a decade of martial law, promised “full and fair” elections in 1987--without conceding that any previous election had been unfair.

Laxalt delivered what U.S. officials described as a particularly blunt message, expressing growing concern that the Philippine government will be overwhelmed by a combination of economic and political problems and a growing Communist insurgency.

The senator said he was chosen to carry the message, which Marcos said afterward provoked a “frank exchange,” so it would be unmistakable that the warning came from Reagan rather than from lower-ranking officials.

Rebellion ‘Manageable’

Another warning was conveyed to Marcos during the week by Adm. Roland Hays, the new commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. The two largest U.S. military installations outside the United States are Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Base in the Philippines.

Laxalt said that Marcos told him that the insurgency by the Communist-led New People’s Army is “manageable.”

“It is not true that the Communist rebels are winning the war,” Marcos said Friday night in an interview on ABC’s “Nightline” program. “They are surrendering in droves.”

Laxalt said he will deliver a letter to Reagan from Marcos responding to his concerns as well as a report on the insurgency and economic conditions when he meets with him early this week.

Neither Laxalt nor the U.S. officials who briefed him beforehand expected Marcos to announce changes in his policies because of the visit. One official said that it was unlikely that Marcos would have made any public concession because this would have made him appear subservient to the United States.

For this reason, Laxalt discussed various issues with Marcos, including charges of military corruption and political repression, without making a direct request for specific changes. A State Department official familiar with the discussions said Marcos privately indicated neither rejection or acceptance of the message and that it was unclear what the ultimate impact of the Laxalt mission will be.