Warns of Move by Communists or Philippine Military : Marcos Would Return to Stop Takeover

Deposed President Ferdinand E. Marcos said Monday that he wants to be buried in the Philippines, but he quickly added that he would return sooner if it would prevent a government takeover by the Communists or the military, either of which he said may be imminent.

“But I am certainly not going to come back on my own,” Marcos said in a telephone press conference. He said it would take “a spontaneous demand of our people” to persuade him that he should return and attempt to reclaim the presidency.

Marcos also said that he fled the country Feb. 25 only to save his wife and family.

Hawaii-to-Manila Link

The press conference was organized by former employees of Marcos’ Ministry of Information. They set up a telephone link between the Marcoses’ exile home in Honolulu and a room where about two dozen journalists gathered in suburban Manila.

During the 40-minute session, Marcos also:

--Charged the government of President Corazon Aquino with violating his human rights by denying him a passport to travel, revoking the passport of his Manila-based lawyer and threatening to arrest him if he returns to the Philippines.

--Described his life in exile as lonely. He said he is in constant contact with the U.S. State Department, which “is trying to work out for us more comfortable circumstances.” He said these would include permission to travel to and from Spain, Portugal, Panama, Costa Rica and countries in the Caribbean.

“They (the State Department) are contacting governments who have indicated a willingness to consider a proposal that we travel to their country,” Marcos said.

--Repeated his assertion that the U.S. government forcibly removed him from the Philippines and that he is still the only legitimate president. “I have no intention of renouncing my election,” he said. Widespread allegations of corruption and vote fraud in that February election led to the popular uprising that ousted Marcos.

--Denied allegations that he has been trying to destabilize Aquino’s government by means of sometimes violent street demonstrations in Manila. But in a short statement at the end of the press conference, he encouraged his supporters to continue their protests.

On Sunday, there were simultaneous pro-Marcos rallies in Honolulu and Manila, but the former president denied that he is attempting a political comeback.

Averting Dictatorship

“My only reason for being interested in Philippine affairs now is that almost anybody . . . realizes that the true danger is a Communist takeover or a military coup d’etat, “ Marcos said, adding that his interest is “to see to it that the Philippines does not come under a totalitarian dictatorship.”

Even if it should appear that such a takeover is in the offing, the man who ruled this country in an authoritarian manner for two decades said he would not return without an agreement with the Aquino government.

“They must guarantee my safety, and I will guarantee to them there will be no politics involved,” Marcos said. Aquino’s government revoked Marcos’ passport the day after he fled the country. Aquino said at the time that the action was meant to bar Marcos’ return, which she said “would not be good for the country right now.”

‘Want Marcos To Die in U.S.’

The new government repeated its position during a visit to Manila last week by Secretary of State George P. Shultz. For emphasis, Information Minister Teodoro Locsin Jr. told reporters on Friday, “We want Marcos to die in the United States.”

In addition, Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, who helped lead the coup that toppled Marcos, has vowed to arrest Marcos in the interest of national security the moment he sets foot on Philippine soil.

Marcos, who is known to have asked President Reagan in a recent telephone conversation to put pressure on Aquino to return his passport, refused to say what he and Reagan discussed. “We agreed to keep it private,” he said.

But he added that the State Department is well aware of his desire to leave the United States.

“Definitely, I would like to come back to the Philippines,” Marcos said. “I want to be buried there, at least.”