Cory ‘cabinet’ set for takeover
CEBU CITY, Feb. 22 — Cory Aquino disclosed to the people of this city and province today that she had initiated a number of moves to make sure that “when Ferdinand Marcos goes we will be ready to take over.”
Addressing a luncheon gathering of key leaders of this city and of the province’s five districts, Ms. Aquino said she has set up several committees that will “eventually be part of my cabinet.”
She said she has named, among others, a legal committee and committees on foreign relations and finance, She mentioned the name of MP and retired Supreme Court Justice Cecilia Munoz-Palma to head the legal committee but gave no other names.
Cory refrained from referring to the committees as her “shadow cabinet,” saying such concept is “not spoken about in this country.”
She also gave herself a timetable of three months within which to effect concrete results with her program of non-violent protests.
“So many Filipinos are impatient at this time,” she said. “They would like to see immediate results.” She added that if concrete results can be produced in three months “then we would be all right.” Otherwise, she fears, the people might opt for more radical measures. This is because, she said, “millions of Filipinos are convinced that Cory Aquino won and they would not accept any other explanation”
Ms. Aquino stressed, however, that she intends to pursue her non-violent campaign “to the very end.” She expressed confidence Marcos will resign if the protest movement is successful.
“This is one of the things that make this fight unique — the fact that my victory will be a ‘delayed victory’.”
Aquino returned here today with her vice presidential runningmate Doy Laurel to thank the Cebuanos for the 70,000 margin of victory given her “despite the goons of Durano.” “It is truly inspiring what you Cebuanos have done last elections,” she said.
Aquino also came to sell her seven-point program of non-violent protest, which is just a week old, to the second most populous city in the country.
Cory’s party was welcomed here by about 50,000 supporters.
Panaghiusa co-chairmen John Osmena and MP Antonio Cuenco expressed optimism about the success of the boycott effort in Cebu, following a meeting of multisectoral groups Friday evening at which the various groups pledged their wholehearted support for the program.
Cory also told the Cebuanos that 17 foreign ambassadors have already seen her, versus only one, the Russian ambassador, who had gone to see Marcos. She also disclosed that during her second meeting with U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s personal emissary Philip Habib that she asked Habib to tell Reagan to withdraw support from Marcos.
The last election was a battle not just between Cory and Marcos but between Marcos and the Filipino people, she told Habib. “Millions of Filipinos will be disillusioned if the Americans will just turn away from their fight for democracy.”
Queried about talk that she might be the target of a liquidation squad, Ms. Aquino said, she is “not afraid of being eliminated.” She said, “I want Marcos and his cohorts to really think before wanting to harm me because look what they have done to Ninoy. Ninoy awakened many millions of Filipinos and now his widow has been visible in 68 provinces. Marcos is not only fighting Cory but millions of Filipinos so I want him to think long and hard before doing anything foolish.”
A massive rally is scheduled by the Panaghiusa in this city’s Fuente Osmena park this afternoon to launch Cory’s program of non-violent protest. Apart from the top Opposition leaders, also attending will be Opposition MPs Cuenco, Aquilino Pimentel, Diananalan, and Isidoro Real, former Sen Osmena ex-Congressman Jose Cojuangco, and local leaders.
Meanwhile, UNIDO President Salvador “Doy” Laurel yesterday told activist physicians who called themselves Doctors for Democracy that civil disobedience is only phase 1 in a series of actions geared at pressuring Mr. Marcos to bow down to the people’s mandate.
Laurel said the Filipino people are supported in their fight to claim rightful victoty in the elections by the church, international community. even by many sectors of the military and the Filipino masses.
Addressing the Doctors for Democracy at the Casino Espanol, Laurel also renewed his call for the military to be loyal to the Republic and not to the dictatorship of Mr. Marcos.
Laurel in a conference with UNIDO leaders has also received reports from lawyer Clabell Asas-Martinez, a UNIDO member of the provincial board of Cebu that Opposition groups and sectoral organizations in this province of more than 3 million people no longer recognize Mr. Marcos as head of state.
Ms. Martinez revealed that the decision to reject the Marcos presidency was arrived at a meeting of Opposition leaders representing a cross-section of Cebu’s population.
