European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 27, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday february 27, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 3 . Military reports business As usual despite shift in philippine government by Mike Van Hoecke Pacific stars and stripes Clark a Philippines american military officials say they arc experiencing business As usual in the Philippines despite the turmoil in the nation s government. Officials say there is no danger to american service members and their families in spite of the gunfire in the nation s capital 60 Miles South of the base. Maj. Thomas j. Boyd a Public affairs officer said incidents in connection with the change of government in Manila have not hampered the base Mission. Schools arc operating Gates arc open to allow the regular flow of traffic and no restrictions arc placed on travel in the Philippines. We Are advising people not to travel to Manila unless hey have official duties there Boyd said. However it is a recommendation and not a restrict  Boyd said americans also arc advised to avoid Polit ical rallies and Large gatherings of people anywhere in the Philippines. Air Force officials also have advised people not to travel to Clark a or other places in the Philippines on leave status or to make any unnecessary trips to the country for the next several weeks. The travel advisory is a precaution to keep unnecessary travel to a minimum during the period of political unrest in the Philippines. No extra Security precautions Are apparent around the Clark perimeter Fence line even though there Are holes in some sections of the Fence and no Fence at All in other areas. Air Force officials say they Are constantly Monitor ing the Security situation. We Are in a state of increased vigilance which Means taking More precautions Boyd said. We arc keeping our eyes  asked if plans were made to evacuate people air planes and other resources in an emergency Boyd said there arc always contingency plans for evacuation should it become necessary. Maj. Gen. Gordon e. Williams 13th air Force commander appeared on the far East network s monday evening news report to assure  they were in no  common sense avoid crowds demonstrations and unnecessary trips off base Williams said. Be assured your safety and that of your families is of primary importance to base  while the top . Officer at Clark reassured  they were flocking to the philippine Long distance Telephone office to reassure their families Back Home. Telephone officials reported a Rush of people worse than during the past Christmas and new year holi Days. One operator said More than 1,000 Calls were placed to the United states monday mostly by Cou Ples asking for two Call slips one for the parents of each Side of the family. The wife of an air Force tech sergeant said she was in Panama in 1977 when panamanian army troops encamped around Howard a. Panama was trying to Force the United states to return ownership of the Panama canal. ". Army troops repelled the threat without gun fire the woman said. But there was a feeling of tension there a feeling you Don t have  Gerald Cimarolli an american computer specialist living just outside the base said the philippine political situation is unlike that in Saigon now to Chi Minh City Vietnam when he was chased out by the communists. The North vietnamese did t care what nationality you were Cimarolli said. If you were in their Way they rocketed and mortared you just the  he said his status As an american citizen living close to the base makes a difference in the Philippines. Some people View the base As a strategic target Cimarolli said. I View it As a Benefit. The base creates thousands of jobs for filipinos in this country and neither Side wants to anger the american govern  i sex Dod official loins cigarette sales debate by Clint Swift Washington Bureau Washington a former Pentagon official has jumped Back into 4hc debate Over smoking in the Mili tary and says the issues arc not health and readiness but politics and Freedom of Choice. Lawrence kerb who resigned As assistant Secretary of defense for manpower last fall said in a letter to the Washington Post thai for weeks his phone has been ringing incessantly on this  the Issue appears to be whether the military is encouraging smoking by Selling cigarettes at its commissaries and exchanges at a Price 20 to 35 percent below their Cost in the civilian sector kerb wrote. The As sumption is that a higher Price would discourage smok ing and thus improve readiness. There is very Little connection Between the Price of cigarettes and military readiness said Korb who is now an executive with the Washington Liaison office of the Raythelon co., a major defense electronics contractor. The vast majority of the patrons of the commissaries and exchanges Are not on Active duty. They arc dependents or , every person on Active duty must meet vigorous physical standards. Those who cannot meet these standards must leave the service. If smoking is the cause these individuals have the Chance of giving up smoking or leaving the service. It is their Choice. Raising the Price of cigarettes in the commissaries or not Selling them in the commissary at All has been proposed by or. William Mayer assistant Secretary of defense for health affairs. Mayer has emphasized the health Hazard in smoking and said that As soldiers Are harmed individually readiness is affected. He also has argued that resulting illnesses and absences from work make smoking expensive for the Pentagon to support. The real issues Are the political system s attitude toward tobacco the implied contract Between the Mili tary and its members and the right of individuals in the armed services to make their own choices Korb said. There is no doubt that smoking is bad for ones health he said. That is Why warning labels Are put on cigarette packs and tobacco companies cannot advertise on , the government still subsidizes tobacco and does not ban the Sale of cigarettes. Moreover the various Levels of government tax cigarettes not to Cut consumption but to raise  Lawrence Korb. There is very Little connection Between the Price of cigarettes and military readiness further when people join the military they Are told they will be Able to buy at a discount Many of the items they purchased in the private sector Korb said. The implied contract does not contain a clause saying they will not be Able to buy items some defense department officials determine should not be used he said. Should the defense department raise the Price of beef and lower the Price of Chicken to encourage people to eat More Chicken and less beef As Many nutritionists argue Korb asked. Korb also argued that cigarettes Are not cheaper in commissaries and exchanges relative to the other items service members buy there. The Price that a Soldier pays for cigarettes relative to what he or she pays for a Pound of beef is the same As that of his civilian counterpart he wrote. The Soldier pays less for everything he or she purchases because thut is part of the compensation  Mayer s proposal has not been accepted at the highest Levels of the Pentagon principally because of the Contro Versy that would be sure to follow said a Pentagon offi Cial who asked not to be identified. He said a decision on the proposal has held up for months a wide ranging health promotion directive that would be binding on each of the services. Kerb s successor Chapman Cox has not taken a pub Lic position on the proposal. However the army Navy and air Force times reported monday that Cox sup ports Mayer and a proposal to Stop Selling cigarettes in commissaries. Cox turned Down a request from the stars and stripes for an interview on the subject. It. Col. Pete Wyro. A Pentagon personnel spokesman said he believes Cox feels it would be inappropriate to make a Public statement on the smoking Issue since the proposal is again headed for the office of defense Secre tary Caspar Weinberger. The Senate appropriations committee last year recommended reducing the administration s $606 million request for 1986 commissary operations by $77 million with the funds to be made up by raising the Price of cigarettes to the level in the area around the bases. In a conference Between Senate and House negotiators the funding was restored and Mayer was ordered to submit a report on his View of the smoking Issue by March i. The report must include a study to determine the effect of cigarette prices on military consumption  health and the Cost to the military and society. It also must address the Impact of raising the prices of cigarettes in commissaries and exchanges and of including state and local taxes in the Price. The Pentagon also must inform the committees about the status of the proposal to discontinue sales of cigarettes in commissaries. A spokesman for Mayer said the study will be completed on time. The Senate committee report said cigarette prices at commissaries Are 35 percent below those of stores off base while prices at exchanges Are about 20 percent lower. Ute to morale welfare and recreation funds. Mayer s proposal has not included the exchanges a Pentagon official said