Reagan supports Enrile, Ramos charges

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 (UPI) — The Reagan administration endorsed Saturday the charges of election fraud by two top military officials who called on Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos to resign and said the United States supports a quick resolution of the new turmoil.

In a statement approved by President Reagan, the White House took note of the resignations of Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Lt. Gen Fidel Ramos, deputy chief of staff of the armed forces.

Acknowledging the statements by Enrile and Ramos that Marcos must step down “because the government no longer has a popular mandate,” the Reagan administration said.

“These statements strongly reinforce our concern that the recent presidential elections were marred by fraud, perpetuated overwhelmingly by the ruling party, so extreme as to undermine the credibility and the legitimacy of the election and impairs the capacity of the government of the Philippines to cope with a growing insurgency and a troubled economy.”

“Many authoritative voices in the Philippines have been raised in support of non-violence,” the White House said.

“We support the voices and expect them to be respected,” the statement said. “We also support resolution of the issues involved by the people of the Philippines as quickly as possible.” (UPI)