Marcos’ Controversial Armed Forces Chief Resigns

President Ferdinand E. Marcos announced Sunday that his controversial armed forces chief, Gen. Fabian C. Ver, has resigned.

“General Ver has submitted his resignation and I have accepted it,” Marcos told reporters during a news conference at Malacanang, the presidential palace.

A cousin and confidant of Marcos, Ver has been criticized as a symbol of military abuse and corruption since he was named chief of staff in 1981. He was tried on conspiracy charges for the 1983 assassination of opposition leader Benigno S. Aquino Jr. but was acquitted in December.

The Reagan Administration had pressed Marcos for months to discharge the 65-year-old general, who was serving past his retirement date.

Acting Chief Named

Marcos said that Lt. Gen. Fidel V. Ramos will be acting chief of staff. Ramos headed the armed forces last year while Ver and 25 others stood trial for the Aquino murder. All were acquitted.

The officer corps has been divided in allegiance to Ramos and Ver, who has been accused of ordering assignments and promotions on political grounds. Significantly, Marcos said that Ramos, a proponent of professionalism in the armed forces, would serve as acting chief of staff “in the interim.”

In late December, Marcos suggested that both generals might be retired. On Sunday, he said that all generals extended past their retirement date--one in four--will leave the service as soon as replacements can be trained.

His announcement of Ver’s resignation came on the eve of a meeting with Philip C. Habib, President Reagan’s personal envoy to the Philippines.

“The timing was clearly aimed at taking some wind out of Habib’s sails,” said a member of a U.S. congressional staff delegation that is also visiting Manila. “I think we are going to see a number of concessions as Marcos tries to fend off U.S. pressure. But emotions are running so high in Congress that I doubt it can work.”

The source, who refused to be identified by name, said it appears “almost certain” that Congress will cut off or withhold some U.S. aid to the Philippines to protest widespread election fraud.

Marcos, proclaimed Saturday as president for a new six-year term, called again for reconciliation with supporters of his election opponent, Corazon Aquino, the widow of the opposition leader slain in 1983.

“I call upon our countrymen to come together once again,” Marcos said in his news conference at the presidential palace. But on the divisive issue of election fraud, which Aquino says cheated her of victory, Marcos gave no ground.

“I intend to convince everybody that the fraud and violence was committed by the opposition more than by the government,” he declared, alleging that supporters of his ruling party were not allowed to vote in two provinces. He blamed intimidation by the Communist insurgents of the New People’s Army, which he linked to the opposition during the campaign.

In an opening statement, Marcos outlined a series of other actions, apparently aimed at meeting opposition and U.S. calls for reform.

Marcos said he he has ordered the filing of charges in cases of violence committed during and after the campaign. While he mentioned several cases where his supporters were the victims, he also cited last week’s killing of former Gov. Evelio Javier of Antique province, who led Aquino’s campaign there.

Important decisions on the nation’s near-lifeless economy will be made this week, Marcos said, specifically on money supply, foreign exchange rates and interest rates.

After the news conference, Prime Minister Cesar Virata, who doubles as finance minister, said he will seek to abandon his political job and concentrate on the economy. All Cabinet ministers have submitted their resignations, Marcos said, a tradition at the beginning of a new term.

Marcos admitted that media access had been a problem for the opposition during the campaign. “I’m going to take a personal hand in it,” he said, without explaining what he intends to do.

The resignation of Ver marked the clearest move toward reform. Ver stepped down both as armed forces chief and as head of the National Intelligence Security Agency, a government investigative agency that has often been criticized by the opposition.

Ver’s future is unclear, but Marcos said that he has offered to be a civilian consultant to the military, a position not likely to appease his critics.

“You insist that he be removed,” the president told an American reporter. “You are doing this to us, you never tell us why.”

Irritated by Press

Several times during the press conference, Marcos showed irritation toward the American press and government.

Asked for a response to President Reagan’s statement Saturday that “the elections were marred by widespread fraud and violence perpetrated largely by the ruling party,” Marcos said he did not think Reagan’s observations were improper. “The most you could say is that he is wrong,” he said.

Of the press, he observed: “You quote the opposition and glory in the fact that they insult me.”

And of the opposition, Marcos said: “I am the president. They’re not going to drive me out because I have the people behind me.”

Habib met alone today with Marcos in the president’s private study for almost two hours, running well beyond the one-hour originally scheduled for the talk.

Both men were cordial and smiling after the meeting, but neither would comment on the substance of their talk.

“As I tell everybody, silent movies,” Habib said.

Habib was scheduled to meet later today with Aquino and with the powerful primate of the Catholic Church, Cardinal Jaime Sin.

The envoy spent Sunday in briefings with U.S. Ambassador Stephen W. Bosworth and other embassy officials.