300 Revolt, Seize Hotel in Manila : Ex-Marcos Aide Leads Insurgents, Claims Presidency

Former Foreign Minister Arturo Tolentino proclaimed himself acting president of the Philippines on Sunday and, with the backing of about 300 rebellious army and marine corps troops, commandeered the historic Manila Hotel as his “official seat of government.”

Tolentino, 75, took an “oath of office” in the driveway of the hotel, vowing to govern until ousted President Ferdinand E. Marcos can be restored to the presidency. He said that he was acting on instructions from Marcos, who lives in exile in Hawaii.

Early today, about 200 of the estimated 300 troops with Tolentino surrendered to government forces, military spokesman Col. Emiliano Templo said on government radio. In a separate statement this morning, Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile said about 180 armed loyalists remained inside the hotel.

As part of his act of defiance of President Corazon Aquino’s government, Tolentino, who was Marcos’ vice-presidential running mate in last February’s discredited presidential election, announced formation of a shadow Cabinet that included Enrile.

Enrile Backs Aquino

But Enrile, who led the coup that drove Marcos into exile Feb. 25, told reporters Sunday night that he remains loyal to Aquino.

“Don’t panic. . . . I don’t need another job,” he said in a press conference. “The problem is not that big, and the situation is being handled with the least abrasion. . . .”

Enrile dispatched heavily armed soldiers to secure the nation’s five television stations, and his troops “disabled” a pro-Marcos radio station that had been broadcasting appeals for food and for people to go to the 17-story downtown hotel to support Tolentino and his troops.

Aquino, away from Manila on a scheduled two-day trip to the troubled southern island of Mindanao, said she remains firmly in control of the government. She also asked her troops to use “maximum tolerance” against the Marcos partisans. But she said that criminal charges will be filed against Tolentino.

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Aquino arrived back in Manila this morning and gave Tolentino 24 hours to end his revolt.

During an impromptu press conference at the hotel this morning, Tolentino hinted that he and his fellow loyalist politicians were resigned that their attempt to take over the government had ended in failure. Tolentino asserted that Enrile’s forces were preventing supporters from coming to the hotel, and Tolentino’s son, Victor, told a reporter later: “There’s no way out of this now. I’m just afraid for my father’s safety.”

The younger Tolentino added the hope that a peaceful solution was still possible, but he added that the waiting game may last another day.

The scene at the hotel was somewhat reminiscent of Enrile’s February coup, which was supported by tens of thousands of civilians who flocked into the streets around a military base that he took over as his headquarters in suburban Manila. A big difference was the numbers.

Only a few thousand civilians held an all-night vigil Sunday night outside the Manila Hotel, singing folk songs and shouting slogans against Aquino. By daybreak, their numbers had dwindled to just a few hundred. And unlike the case of Enrile, who was joined by then-deputy military chief of staff Fidel V. Ramos, the Marcos loyalists present Sunday included only four generals, none of whom command large forces.

Another major difference was the stand of the American government. The U.S. Embassy in Manila moved quickly Sunday night to back Aquino against Tolentino’s attempted countercoup.

Embassy Denounces Move

“The United States government fully supports the government of President Aquino, and we are against any effort such as this to undermine it,” the embassy’s first secretary, Charles Martin, said in a statement that he termed the official U.S. position on the incident.

Last month, Secretary of State George P. Shultz chided Marcos for using his exile home in the United States as a base to try to destabilize the Aquino government.

The posh Manila Hotel, filled with tour groups from the United States, Australia and Europe when Tolentino’s backers seized it, was surrounded by soldiers loyal to Aquino, Enrile said during his press conference. And Gen. Ramon Montano, the Manila police chief, said his forces will attack the pro-Marcos troops only if they attempt to march on Malacanang, the presidential palace.

“We do not want bloodshed,” Enrile declared. “We do not want violence.”

Early today, Enrile sent a team of generals to the hotel, where they met with Brig. Gen. Jose Maria Zumel, the apparent commander of the Marcos loyalists backing Tolentino. When Marcos was president, Zumel was chief of security for First Lady Imelda Marcos.

Declaring that he sought a peaceful settlement to the drama, Enrile said, “We hope we could settle this in a manner that will not affect the unity of the armed forces of the Philippines.”

Hotel Entrances Sealed

The Marcos loyalists sealed all entrances and exits to the hotel and took over several floors by stationing soldiers with M-16 automatic rifles, Uzi submachine guns and M-79 grenade launchers by the elevators.

Hotel guests were not harmed. Several seemed entertained by the spectacle, and 450 people attending a silver wedding celebration Sunday night in the hotel’s Fiesta Pavilion seemed almost oblivious to the siege.

Before dawn this morning, most of the guests left at the urging of Western embassies and were taken to other hotels. Hotel employees also were evacuated, except for security personnel.

Interviews with several of the pro-Marcos leaders Sunday night made it clear that their move was timed to coincide with Aquino’s trip to the Mindanao city of Cagayan de Oro. The trip was only the third she had made outside Manila since taking office five months ago. She was accompanied by eight members of her Cabinet and Gen. Ramos, now her military chief of staff.

Aquino’s vice president, Salvador Laurel, is on a state visit to Europe, and U.S. Ambassador Stephen W. Bosworth, who was among the first to announce support for Aquino’s government in February, is in the United States.

Ramos Sees Anarchy Attempt

In a statement broadcast from Mindanao, Ramos confirmed his loyalty to Aquino, adding that Tolentino’s oath-taking was “illegitimate” and that the Marcos loyalist forces were “attempting to sow anarchy in the capital.”

Most of the rebellious soldiers interviewed at the hotel said they were acting because of their belief that Aquino’s government has been infiltrated by Communists--a continual theme in an unbroken series of Sunday rallies by Marcos’ supporters in downtown Manila since their leader was deposed.

“We are doing this today to protect the people from the enemy, from the Communists who are out to steal this country,” said Col. Dictador Alqueza, who apparently deserted his post as regional chief of staff in a province near Manila on Sunday.

Asserting that at least four of Aquino’s Cabinet ministers are Communists, Alqueza added, “They’re stabbing us in the back in our efforts to end this (the Communists’) insurgency.”

Other officers and enlisted men among the deserters said Aquino’s attempts to end the 17-year Communist insurgency through peace talks scheduled to begin this week are “dangerous,” “fatal” and “must be stopped.”

Ready for Arrest

The politicians accompanying Tolentino throughout a long Sunday night took a similar stance. Asked if they were prepared to be arrested for their rebellion, former national assemblyman Salvador Britanico, one of the chief organizers of the weekly pro-Marcos rallies, said, “Everybody is aware of that, but if that is the price we have to pay for fighting communism, we will pay it.”

Former assemblyman Manuel Collantes, whom Tolentino named as acting foreign minister, said communism is the only issue for him. Asked if he wants Marcos to return to the Philippines, Collantes quietly whispered: “Frankly, I hope he doesn’t. That’s the last thing we need.”

Tolentino said he was acting “to restore constitutional democracy to the country.” He said he was reinstating the Marcos-era, 1973 constitution, which Aquino suspended soon after taking office. And he called for the reconvening of the elected National Assembly, also disbanded by Aquino earlier this year.

The constitutional situation here is complicated. Marcos was officially declared the winner of the Feb. 7 election. But Aquino, as well as independent poll-watchers and a U.S. observer delegation, all charged that Marcos stole the election by fraud and intimidation and that Aquino was the true winner.

After the peaceful revolution of late February drove Marcos into exile and brought Aquino to power, she dissolved the National Assembly and appointed a commission to draft a new constitution to replace the Marcos-era charter she had suspended. For the last three months, Aquino has ruled under an interim constitution that Tolentino calls null and void, and her legitimacy has been disputed by Marcos loyalists.

Cites Marcos’ Urging

Tolentino, who did not take the oath as vice president last February when Marcos was sworn in for a new term shortly before fleeing the country, said Sunday that he decided to take the oath, administered by a former Supreme Court justice, after Marcos wrote him a letter saying he was “unable to discharge my duties as president” and urging Tolentino to take power as acting president.

As the night went on, any immediate threat represented by Tolentino’s action seemed of less and less concern to the few senior government officials Aquino left behind in Manila.

Calling the siege at the hotel “no big deal at all,” Joker Arroyo, the president’s executive secretary, appealed to a national television audience early today not to take to the streets to demonstrate their support for Aquino.

Asked what the government plans to do in the long run to punish the Marcos loyalists and their leaders, Arroyo said their acts were illegal and that the matter will be settled through ongoing negotiations.

Then, noting that the Manila Hotel is owned by the government, Arroyo added, “I think also we should send them a bill for using the facilities for the night.”