Philippine Forces Will Swear Allegiance

Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile said Friday that all 250,000 members of the Philippine armed forces will swear allegiance to the provisional constitution promulgated by President Corazon Aquino to erase any doubts of loyalty.

Enrile, at a sugar planters meeting, said the ceremony will be held Monday in military camps across the land “in order that all of this seeming mistrust about the military will dissipate.”

“All military personnel, including officials of the Defense Ministry which includes the minister of defense, will take their pledge of allegiance to the Freedom Constitution,” said Enrile.

Also participating in the ceremony will be the 300 soldiers and officers who joined a failed loyalist revolt mounted three weeks ago by Arturo Tolentino, vice presidential candidate of ousted ruler Ferdinand E. Marcos in the fraud-tainted Feb. 7 election, Enrile said.

‘Patriotic Enough’

“I have no reservation in my mind that these people are patriotic enough to realize that we must all work together, unify or join hands to see to it that our country will not be fragmented,” Enrile said.

The mass pledge of allegiance by members of the armed forces is seen as a way out of a tight spot by military and defense officials who do not wish to embarrass the renegade officers and lead to further disunity.

The presidential palace announced Friday that Aquino approved the retirement of five brigadier generals upon the recommendation of the armed forces chief, Gen. Fidel V. Ramos.

One of the generals, division commander Antonio Palafox, was among the top officers behind Tolentino who formed a breakaway government July 6 and took over the elegant Manila Hotel. The coup attempt collapsed when the soldiers surrendered.

40 Offered Clemency

Aquino offered clemency to 40 leaders of the 36-hour revolt on condition they swear allegiance to the provisional charter she promulgated a month after she took power Feb. 25 in a civilian-backed military revolt that drove Marcos into exile in Hawaii.

Aquino has appointed a commission to devise a new constitution for the Philippines that will be subject to a nationwide vote.

Tolentino, 75, has vowed to never take the oath, saying it would be “political suicide.” Tolentino, a lawyer regarded as a constitutional law expert, said he was prepared to be arrested.

Justice Minister Neptali Gonzales announced Thursday that rebellion charges would be filed against Tolentino after he refused to take the required oath by the end of a two-day deadline.

Orders Filing Delay

But Aquino on Friday told reporters that she instructed Gonzales to delay filing charges until at least next week.

“I want to see what happens Sunday,” Aquino told reporters, referring to a plan by Tolentino’s supporters to hold a rally at a downtown square.

Justice Ministry spokesman George Dee said negotiations continued in a bid to work out a compromise with Tolentino.

“It’s really a political issue,” Dee said. “We don’t want them to get propaganda mileage out of a trial.”

State television said about a thousand supporters massed Friday night at Tolentino’s home in suburban Manila following rumors of his impending arrest.