Aquino Bars Reelection Bid When Term Ends in 1992 : Philippines: The successor to Marcos says she will leave presidency to write her memoirs and help the poor.

On the eve of her second state visit to the United States, President Corazon Aquino of the Philippines ruled out running for reelection when her term expires in 1992, saying she has done her duty as a citizen and now wants to write a book.

Aquino said Thursday in an interview that she could not foresee conditions under which she would seek a second term.

“I really don’t see myself as having to run again,” Aquino said. “I am not a traditional politician, and I really felt in 1986 that I had to do my part if we were to have a chance at restoring democracy here. I feel I have already done my duty insofar as being a citizen of this republic is concerned.”

Although her family and some supporters have urged her to run again, Aquino said she will leave Malacanang Palace to write her memoirs and join a non-government group to help the poor.

Aquino took office in February, 1986, as a self-described housewife who had helped lead a “people power” revolt that toppled Ferdinand E. Marcos. Her comments Thursday hardened previous statements in which she had indicated that she saw herself in a transitional political role. This seemed likely to increase the scramble of politicians and military officers eager to replace her.

She has come under increasing criticism since the early glory days. Although her integrity is not questioned, polls show that her popularity has fallen amid charges that government policy has drifted, land reform plans are largely unfulfilled and political corruption, cronyism and ineptitude are endemic.

Aquino brushes aside most complaints as the healthy workings of a vibrant, if fragile, democracy in which “almost nothing is left secret.” Indeed, two dozen newspapers compete to provide the most lurid accounts of the most recent scandals.

“I am realistic enough to know I can’t possibly please everybody all the time,” she said. “So long as I do what I think is right, then I think that is all that is asked of me. I have been called weak and indecisive (and) at the same time, I’ve been called vindictive and heartless. So take your pick.”

Aquino defended her administration’s much-criticized record on human rights, and she acknowledged that no member of the military or police has been convicted of human rights abuse despite more than 500 cases being filed. Most of these cases, she said, were brought in connection with the 20-year battle against Communist rebels.

“You must remember that where alleged violations of human rights are concerned, in almost all cases, these are insurgency-related,” she said. “It is not as if these are just being done with no provocation from rebel groups.”

Whatever the provocation, two international organizations, Asia Watch and Amnesty International, charge that the Philippine government has not done enough to stop vigilante or military violence against human rights lawyers, priests and other activists.

The U.S. State Department has reported “signs of deterioration” in the human rights situation in 1988, although officials at the U.S. Embassy here have taken exception to that assessment.

Aquino will visit the United States and Canada mostly to promote her country’s economic recovery. Citing an economic growth rate of 6.7% last year, economic planners hope to lure enough investment to fuel the kind of development that has transformed virtually every other non-Communist country in Asia.

The trip comes at a sensitive time. Although Aquino wants to convince foreign investors that her government is stable, she cited potential destabilization from both right and left as the reason for refusing to allow Marcos’ burial here after his death last month in Hawaii. Her aides say they do not fear coup attempts in her absence.

The trip also brings up a sensitive issue: family planning. With half the population of 58 million in poverty, the birth rate of 2.8% has undercut economic progress. The rate is up from 2.4% in 1980.

“We leave it to the couple to decide for themselves what is the best option,” Aquino said, noting that most Filipinos are Roman Catholic.

But critics say Aquino has decided to ignore the issue. Government inaction and bickering led the U.S. Agency for International Development, the largest foreign aid donor, to cut off family planning support early this year.

“Our position was, once you get a program, you’ll get new funds,” a U.S. official said.

Western diplomats here give Aquino high marks for restoring democracy, improving the economy and halting the growth of the Communist insurgency. But most say that beyond that, the record has been spotty.

After three days in Canada, Aquino will arrive in New York on Nov. 7 to start a Philippine stock fund on Wall Street. She will meet President Bush in Washington, discuss debt relief with international bankers, dine on barbecue with oilmen in Dallas and stop in Los Angeles for five hours to meet local Filipinos before returning home Nov. 11.

Aquino was accorded a hero’s welcome when she last visited the United States in 1986. “This time, she wants a no-frills state visit,” said Deedee M. Siytangco, a palace spokeswoman. “It’s a working trip.”