European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 25, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Breaking with Marcos of. Gen. Fidel Ramos stories by the new York times in a country where the armed forces have been shaken by widespread allegations of corruption favouritism and abuses of human rights i. Gen. Fidel v. Ramos has Long seemed Amodel of old fashioned rectitude. A graduate of West Point Ramos earned his reputation by years of professional soldiering rising gradually up the ranks during 39 years of service. He was a platoon. Leader with the philippine army contingent in the korean War he ought against the communist huk guerrillas in the province of Luzon in the same Era and he led a contingent called the philippine civic action group in Vietnam in the late 1960s. A prudent Man who neither drinks nor smokes the 59 year old general has not used his rank to enrich himself. By some accounts his wife a teacher earns three times As much As he does. Indeed some filipinos joke that Ramos became acting chief of staff of the armed forces in spite of being a Cousin of president Ferdinand e. Marcos. In the Philippines tamil ties remain the Cement of politics and personal Yewtai ships often count for More than achievement. Bui on saturday Ramos pent up frustration with Marcos and what he saw As the president s misuse of the primary boiled Over As he joined Juan Ponce Enrile the defense minister in challenging Marcos authority. From is Headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo Ramos declared this has been building up for some time now but i became very disappointed in the president when he continued to use my name to help prop up his  specifically Ramos charged that Marcos had been fooling us and fooling the entire world by announcing that he had ordered the resignation of Gen. Fabian c. Ver As chief of staff a week ago with Ramos supposedly replacing ver. In fact Ramos said the president had never issued the order dismissing ver who was implicated and later acquitted in the assassination of Benigno s. Aquino jr., Marcos s major opponent in 19s3. Speaking bluntly and with evident passion Ramos accused Marcos and ver of helping to Rig the presidential elections this month by illegally distributing guns to wealthy supporters of Marcos. He said these so called cronies had used the arms to form private armies and terrorize the voters. Ramos said Marcos had assigned him to assure clean and orderly elections. But what really bites me Ramos continued is that while he gave me this responsibility he and some of his leaders were doing Juan Ponce Enrile Hen president Ferdinand e. Marcos declared martial Law in 1972, the main architect of his draconian crackdown on the Philippines was a shrewd charming Harvard educated lawyer Juan Ponce Enrile. Saturday Enrile. Who served Marcos loyally for years As his defense master broke with the president Lam bothered by my  Enrile said after declaring that he no longer recognized Marcos As president. What i am doing today is an act of contrition Enrile 62 years old said after barricading himself inside the defense Headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo. Had i known martial Law would be used to suppress our people i would not have supported  Enrile 8 reversal came As something of a Surprise to Many filipinos because he had worked hard for Marcos disputed re election Over Corazon c. Aquino on feb. 7. Delivering his native area in Northern Luzon in the most one sided vote in the country. On saturday. He conceded that much of that margin was the result of fraud and intimidation. Enrile. Who comes from the same province As Marcos an important Bond in the Philippines had benefited handsomely from martial Law becoming chairman of the United Coconut planters Bank and amass Lna a Large Fortune like other friends of the president Enrile s House is one of the most opulent by appointed in Manila visitors say. But behind Enrile break with Marcos lies a Long term souring of their relationship some knowledgeable just the  in addition Ramos charged that Marcos had blocked All efforts to eliminate corruption and violence against civilians by philippine soldiers. In december Ramos said. Marcos asked him to study How to Reform the army and he carried out the study with 17 other senior officers. But although they submitted the report to Marcos on dec. 23, the president has yet to act on any of their recommendations Ramos said. There Are too Many officers close to Gen. Ver he said who never do anything except serve in Malac Anang Marcos Palace and who have risen to very High ranks not because of what they know or what they have done but because of their closeness to the  i Don t want to be a part of that now Ramos said. Ramos who graduated from West Point in 1950 and then earned a master s degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois has Long been a favorite of american diplomats and army advisers in the Philippines. They have depicted him As representing the Best of both the american and philippine military traditions shared during the common Battle against Magazine the japanese in world War ii. But his popularity with americans has made Ramos suspect among some philippine officers who recall the country s half Century As an american Colony. There have also been doubts about whether the direct dour Ramos has the forcefulness to assume real leadership according to some fellow officers. Last Spring when a movement to effect changes in the military emerged among some younger officers Ramos was thought to be part of it but until his break with Marcos on saturday he had never publicly acknowledged his feelings on the subject. In a news conference on saturday evening the general said the movement composed of about 1,000 of the army s 15,000 officers had made him proud. Ramos who had been commander of the paramilitary philippine constabulary and the integrated National police since the mid-1970s. Is a protestant in a country that is overwhelmingly roman Caf Holic. On saturday afternoon he fled his Home so abruptly after receiving word that Marcos was about to have him arrested he said that he had to leave his wife five daughters and a granddaughter behind. Krs t to philippine Defemia mini Iler Juan Ponce Enrile if it and Deputy Detent chief Gen. Fidel Raima. Filipinos say stemming from Marcos suspicion that Enrile has presidential ambitions of his own and Enrile s gradual swing to a More conciliatory approach to the opposition. In fact Enrile s Star had begun to decline in the late 1970s after he emerged As the most Likely successor to Marcos a fact that was said to make the president uncomfortable. Enrile compounded the problem by pushing for greater Power for the largely moribund parliament the Bat Asang Pam Bansa challenging Marcos virtually absolute Power. Enrile whose wife had close personal ties to an american Jesuit missionary the Rev. James Reuter whom the government charged with being a leftist agitator also began to take a More moderate stance toward Marcos critics. In time he began allowing investigations of complaints of killings and torture by the army though Little usually came of these reports. In place of Enrile Marcos began to rely More heavily on another native of his Home province Fabian c. Ver. The head of his elite Palace bodyguards. Eventually Marcos made ver a general and then the chief of staff of the armed forces the top military Post. A son of ver took Over As commander of the praetorian guard. Enrile from id cos in the northernmost part of the country graduated at the top of his class from the University of the Philippines Law school and then in 1955 received a master s degree from the Harvard Law school. He returned to Manila to become a successful lawyer before Marcos invited him to join his government in the late 1960s, first As commissioner of tuesday february 25, 1986 customs. He was soon promoted to be minister of Justice and then minister of defense. Colleagues described him As Tough intelligent and forceful. His enemies depicted him As ruthless. In helping to Frame the justification for the imposition of martial Law in 1972, Enrile Drew on what he asserted was an attempt by the communist new people s army to ambush him. Martial Law was necessary Marcos asserted to Stem a threat by the communists. Iron Rickaby the new people s army was then Little More than an annoyance with a Force of perhaps 1,000 guerrillas isolated in some of the most Remote parts of the country. After More than a decade of martial Law the communists have grown into a formidable Force of 20,000 to 30,000 guerrillas backed by More than a million sympathizers and they control Large chunks of the country. In the last year Enrile s own Power had shrunk to such an extent that Marcos recently announced that his one time confidant no longer had the authority to Transfer troops and was limited to policy making for the military. Saturday after defecting from the regime and taking Refuge at the defense ministry. Enrile spoke in apocalyptic terms. We will stay Here until we Are killed he said. The hour of reckoning is Here for me now he said. At least i will die with a clean conscience instead of serving this illegitimate regime. For me it is More honorable now to die fighting this regime than to die fighting for  the stars and stripes Page 13