CORAZON AQUINO
Drogin acknowledges that since Aquino took office, the $27-billion foreign debt owed to the Western world, much of it to the United States, is being paid. He does not mention that as a result, much of the Philippines’ annual budget goes toward repaying this debt, leaving little to feed the hungry, let alone care for Manila’s streets. This debt benefited only the U.S.-backed Marcoses, not the Philippines. Yet the Philippines, under Aquino, is paying.
Many question Aquino’s priorities, but the economic gains, however modest, under her leadership, and the experience of Latin American countries who attempted debt repudiation, indicate that she is doing something right. In Philippine culture, as I recall it, the repayment of debt is always a question of honor.
I hope the Philippines--and the United States, who needed an alternative to Marcos--will always remember what they owe to her.
NILDA RIMONTE, Los Angeles
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