Aquino’s Candidacy a Joke, He Says : Marcos ‘Embarrassed’ to Run Against Woman

President Ferdinand E. Marcos began his reelection campaign Saturday by saying he is embarrassed to run against a woman, Corazon Aquino, and accused her of aligning herself with Communists.

Marcos avoided mentioning his opponent by name at a rally in Batangas province, where Aquino kicked off her campaign two days ago.

He told the crowd that greeted him at Fernando Air Force Base that he views her candidacy in the Feb. 7 election as a “joke” and warned that her election would lead to “10 years of instability” and bloodshed.

“Regarding my opponent, it seems that I feel embarrassed,” the president said. “It is odd if it is a woman challenging you. It’s better if it’s a man. If it’s a woman, it might lead to something bad.”

Recalls Father’s Advice

Marcos, 68, said he would prefer not to debate Aquino but added that he would not mind a “pleasant conversation.” He said his father taught him, “Don’t ever argue with a woman.”

The president traveled by helicopter to the vote-rich province, accompanied by his wife, Imelda, running mate Arturo Tolentino, Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and the armed forces chief, Gen. Fabian C. Ver, who was recently cleared of charges of complicity in the 1983 slaying of Aquino’s husband, Benigno, who was Marcos’ archrival.

Batangas, 50 miles south of Manila, is the home of Salvador Laurel, Aquino’s running mate. Laurel’s cousin, the provincial governor, snubbed Marcos’ visit.

Marcos was greeted by thousands of flag-waving supporters and hundreds of air force personnel. Schoolchildren dressed in native costumes danced, and supporters waved banners with the campaign slogans “Needed Now More Than Ever” and “Tested in Crisis.”

Imelda Marcos, a former beauty queen, serenaded the crowd with love songs at the request of the base commander. At a news conference later, she tossed handfuls of coins in the direction of bewildered journalists.

‘Bedded’ With Communists

In a speech that stressed Philippine independence and his handling of a Communist insurgency, Marcos criticized the opposition, saying it is “openly working to obtain the favors of a foreign power” and has “foolishly bedded” with the Communists.

For the first time, he also dwelled at length on what he called Aquino’s lack of qualifications, saying her policies would divide the country, and of her advisers, many of whom he said are “red.”

Marcos noted that the Philippines’ strategic geographic position might embroil it in a major regional conflict in the future, and said, “It is therefore necessary that whoever is commander in chief of the armed forces must know a little of military science.”

Marcos told reporters that the elections will “determine whether the ruling party can consolidate power or not.”

“If it does not consolidate power, we have always said that we are due for perhaps 10 years of instability in the Philippines where there may be worse than the present kind of bloodshed,” he said.

Rebels are waging a guerrilla campaign against Marcos, who has been in office for 20 years.