Conditions in the Philippines

Your article (Oct. 31), “U.S. Officials Fear Civil War in Philippines,” is yet another instance of speculative reporting being presented as a fact. For several years now, there has been recurrent predictions from foreign journalists about the “imminent collapse” of the Philippine government. However, as subsequent events proved, their views appear to be more wishful than objective.

As opposed to the rumors being fanned by foreign journalists who, after a few days’ sojourn feel that they are already “experts” on Philippine conditions, we feel that they most authoritative witnesses to prevailing situations in our country are the hundreds of Filipinos themselves who travel to the United States through our daily Philippine Airlines flights as well as an equal number of our overseas compatriots who are being encouraged to see for themselves the true and actual situation in their homeland.

They will be the first to tell you that the peace and order situation in the Philippines is far more stable, compared to crime statistics in several major cities in the United States and elsewhere.

The yearly publication of the top Philippine corporations will show no evidence of the so-called presidential “cronies” in the top ladder, which is occupied mainly by multinationals and pioneering entities set up years before the present administration took over. In fact, a number of alleged “friends” of President Ferdinand Marcos have been hailed to court, indicative of the current drive to spare no one from the administration of justice.

The Philippine armed forces are led by a patriotic, dedicated and well-trained cadre of career officers and to call them “inept” without any basis in fact only shows the prejudice from those making such irresponsible accusations.

In contrast to the opinion of some “instant specialists” on Philippine affairs who claim that President Marcos is “unpopular,” a recent survey by an impartial group in the country disclosed that 44% of Filipinos were satisfied with the performance of President Marcos, while only 25% were not. On the president’s election in the 1987 polls, 52% think that he will win again. The survey was made last June and July 1985 by a sector that has disagreed with the president on a number of occasions, the independent-minded Bishops-Businessmen’s Conference for Human Development.

LAURENCIO V. ZABALA

Information Representative

Philippine Consulate General

Los Angeles