Philippine Marines Fire on 10,000 Protesters; 12 Dead : 94 Injured; Commander Put on Leave

Marines today fired into a crowd of 10,000 leftists demanding land reform, killing at least 12 of them in the bloodiest clash with anti-government demonstrators since President Corazon Aquino took office.

The leftists, many of them peasant farmers, had tried to break through a security cordon around the presidential palace.

Hospitals reported that 12 people were killed and 94 injured, most with gunshot wounds. There was no official word on casualties.

It was the first time since Aquino took office 11 months ago that her security forces have shot demonstrators.

Aquino expressed her sorrow over what she called “this bloody incident” and said the military commander of the capital region, Gen. Ramon Montano, would go on leave during an investigation.

‘Maximum Tolerance’

Montano defended his troops’ actions, saying: “As far as we are concerned, we exercised maximum tolerance. If we are attacked, we have the right to defend ourselves.”

In an address broadcast nationwide, Aquino warned that efforts to destabilize her government will intensify in the days before the Feb. 2 plebiscite on a new constitution.

The clash occurred on Mendiola Bridge about 300 yards from Malacanang Palace. During the 20-year authoritarian rule of President Ferdinand E. Marcos, the area was the scene of repeated bloody confrontations between security forces and opposition demonstrators.

The shooting broke out after about 10,000 people taking part in a march organized by the militant Movement of Philippine Farmers tried to break through a phalanx of about 500 troops and riot police massed about 300 yards from the main gate to the palace.

Some of the demonstrators carried iron bars and wooden clubs with three-inch nails as they marched toward the palace from a rallying point in front of the main downtown post office.

Demands for Land Reform

The marchers wanted to enter the palace grounds to press their demands for land reform and the distribution of public and expropriated land.

As they approached the troops, marchers linked arms and pressed forward against the riot police. The police shoved them back with plastic shields. The marchers then began pelting troops and police with stones.

Suddenly, marines deployed behind the police opened fire. Firing continued even as marchers and bystanders ran for cover, some trying to drag the dead and wounded out of the firing line.

One policeman, who refused to give his name, told a reporter he thought that the marines “fired too soon.”

The demonstrators had retreated from the front line of riot police when the first shots were fired.

Protesters Flee in Panic

The troops fired tear gas and chased the protesters as they fled in panic.

During her speech, Aquino called on the public “to maintain calm and sobriety.”

“In the period before the plebiscite, attempts to destabilize the government and defeat our democratic aim will intensify,” she said. “We are prepared for this contingency. We shall have law and order throughout our land, even as we pursue justice in this case.”