Enrile Warns Other Nations Not to Meddle

Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile warned foreign nations today against interfering in internal Philippine affairs and assailed President Corazon Aquino’s advisers for having brought “instability to the land.”

Before an American audience, Enrile, in one of his toughest speeches, said that he is “undaunted” by his critics and that wrong decisions that affect the nation’s stability “place the lives of our soldiers in jeopardy.”

Enrile has repeatedly criticized Aquino’s effort to negotiate with insurgents, calling for tough military action against them. He vowed today to continue his anti-communist campaign that has put him at odds with Aquino, led to a major rift in the 8-month-old coalition government and prompted some Cabinet members to call for Enrile’s resignation.

Addressing Women’s Club

“We have not assailed the president as the leader of our people but we have assailed some of her advisers who have brought instability to the land,” Enrile said. “I am not saying this for myself but for the leaders and members of the military organization.”

Enrile spoke before the American Women’s Club of the Philippines at a dinner at the Manila Polo Club in the posh Forbes Park suburb. The wives of several U.S. diplomats are members of the club.

He said he spoke as defense minister, a position that he has held since 1970 and retained after co-leading a civilian-backed military uprising that toppled the 20-year regime of Ferdinand E. Marcos and installed Aquino.

“Someone has to speak out against these ideological foes of our democratic way of life,” Enrile said of the rebels. “I do not care if my audience are Marcos loyalists, Christians or Muslims.”

‘We Expect No Less’

Enrile said “we fully appreciate” foreign support “in our quest for freedom and stability.” But he added, “As we shall respect the sovereign right of other nations to determine their own destiny, we expect no less for our own.”

Enrile’s comments followed a statement Monday by Aquino’s press secretary, Teodoro Benigno, that the military is “very sensitive” to signals from Washington and that Aquino has received strong expressions of support from the Reagan Administration.

Aquino today addressed the Philippine Nurses Assn. at the Officers Club at suburban military headquarters. She said she is bound by her Christian convictions to seek a peaceful solution to the insurgency but reiterated that she will use force if the efforts fail.