Some Priests Funneling Arms to Communist Rebels, Marcos Says

President Ferdinand E. Marcos, campaigning in the insurgency-ridden island of Mindanao, charged Wednesday that some Roman Catholic priests are funneling arms to guerrillas of the Communist-led New People’s Army.

Marcos provided no details but said, “I have in my file intelligence reports that in north Cotabato (a province on Mindanao), some of the priests are giving guns and equipment to the NPA.”

A few priests and former clerics have been openly active in the insurgency against Marcos’ 20-year rule in the Philippines, but Marcos himself had never before publicly accused churchmen of supplying the guerrillas.

Vows to Investigate

“When the elections are over, we will look into all these (reported cases),” the president told an airport press conference here after a rally in his campaign to be reelected Feb. 7.

Marcos has emphasized the issue of a Communist threat in three straight days of campaigning in the south--the last two on Mindanao. In 1984 and 1985, the guerrillas gained wide influence on Mindanao, and Davao gained a reputation as the testing ground for urban guerrilla warfare.

According to the government, the threat has diminished in the last six months as the military has stepped up its presence. “Davao has been saturated with soldiers,” a judge here said Wednesday.

In rallies on Negros Island and Iloilo province on Monday, in Zamboanga on Tuesday and in Davao on Wednesday, Marcos suggested that an election victory by his opponent, Corazon Aquino, would open the door to a Communist role in government.

Aquino Backtracks

His accusations were prompted in part by an Aquino remark that she would accept Communists in government if they renounce violence. She has since backtracked, saying that she would not appoint a Communist to her Cabinet and that she personally opposes communism.

But although the opposition says that to raise the issue is irresponsible, it has an effect in the southern provinces where the insurgency is strong. Marcos told the rally here, which drew a large and enthusiastic crowd, that to “prevent communism from taking over, to prevent civil war, it is necessary that we prevent the opposition leader from grabbing power.”

Aquino campaigned in Davao a week ago and accused Marcos of being a coward for not coming to Mindanao. He last visited the island five years ago. Members of Marcos’ party have conceded that Aquino will probably win in Davao, but the turnout at Wednesday’s rally in a light rain led one to say, “This is the turning point.”

Crowd Hails Marcos

Four times during his speech, the president was interrupted by apparently spontaneous chants for his reelection. Generally, his audiences have been apathetic in comparison with Aquino’s.

The president’s swing through the south winds up the candidates’ scheduled visits to the outer provinces, except for a foray today by Aquino to the islands of Palawan and Mindoro.

With little more than a week to go before the balloting, they are expected to concentrate their efforts in the main island of Luzon. Aquino is counting on a wide margin in Manila and southern Luzon to overcome Marcos’ strength in rural areas elsewhere.