Aquino Accepts Minister’s Resignation, Ends Cabinet Shake-up

President Corazon Aquino announced Friday she has accepted the resignation of her leftist labor minister, completing a Philippine Cabinet revamping that followed an aborted coup and the sacking of Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile last month.

Aquino’s spokesman released her letter accepting the resignation of Labor Minister Augusto Sanchez. The letter said Sanchez will be allowed to remain until the end of the year when a replacement would be announced, Press Secretary Teodoro Benigno said.

“Minister Sanchez has just written to me earnestly asking that his resignation be accepted to end the endless speculations from which nothing good will result,” the letter said. “I appreciate this gesture of cooperation.”

Sanchez said in his letter of resignation that his continued stay “only serves to polarize the different sectors of our society.”

Aquino dismissed her 25-member Cabinet Nov. 23 after an aborted coup by officers loyal to Enrile. The first resignation she accepted was Enrile’s.

Truce Violation Charged

Earlier Friday, the military accused Communist rebels of violating a three-day-old truce.

The national cease-fire monitoring committee, however, met for two hours but failed to resolve gray areas in implementing the truce, including whether the rebels violated the accord by bringing armed men to a village rally Thursday.

Defense Minister Rafael Ileto and the military chief of staff, Gen. Fidel V. Ramos, described the display of force by about 50 members of the New People’s Army in the San Juan district of Samal, 25 miles west of Manila, as a provocation and a violation of an understanding that guerrillas carrying weapons would stay away from “population centers.”

“That particular incident is a very clear violation of the agreement,” Ileto remarked after a speech to the American Chamber of Commerce. “We hope that the public is becoming aware of these things because we in the military will not be the first to violate (the cease-fire).”

A lawyer for the other side, Romeo Capulong, said no violation occurred Thursday because no definition had been agreed on on what constitutes a population center. He represents the Communist-led National Democratic Front political alliance, which negotiated the cease-fire with the government.

No statement was forthcoming from Aquino on whether she considered the incident a violation. Benigno, her spokesman, told reporters that she was leaving it up to the cease-fire committee.

The cease-fire committee, composed of representatives from both sides, adjourned after inconclusive talks. Panel members said they would meet again today.