The Philippines Cory Hits a Grand Slam

By Michael S. Serrill

It was her first visit to the U.S. since becoming President, and everywhere she went Corazon Aquino's reception seemed to get warmer and warmer. When her commercial Philippine Airlines 747 touched down at San Francisco International airport, she was greeted by nearly 1,000 supporters shouting "Cory! Cory! Cory!" After switching to a special U.S. Government aircraft for the cross-country flight to Washington, the Philippine leader charmed White House officials with her simple, direct manner. A private meeting with President Reagan that had been scheduled for 15 minutes stretched out to 45, and afterward Reagan declared, "I'm bullish on the Philippines."

Aquino saved her most impressive performance for a speech before a joint session of Congress, whose members greeted her wearing yellow ties and tossing yellow roses flown in specially from Texas; the color has become Aquino's trademark. She defended her policy of reconciliation with the Philippines' Communist insurgents and asked Congress for more financial aid to rebuild the Philippines' shattered economy. "You have spent many lives and much treasure to bring freedom to many lands that were reluctant to receive it," said Aquino. "And here you have a people who won it by themselves and need only the help to preserve it."

The eloquent half- hour address began and ended with standing ovations, and was interrupted by applause eleven times. It was, said House Speaker Tip O'Neill, the "finest speech I've ever heard in my 34 years in Congress." Above the din of cheering officials, Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole said to Mrs. Aquino, "Cory, you hit a home run." Without missing a beat, Aquino smiled and shot back: "I hope the bases were loaded."

Indeed, they seemed to be. Some five hours later the House of Representatives voted, 203 to 197, in favor of $200 million in emergency aid to her fledgling government. The vote, admitted Democrat Gerald Kleczka of Wisconsin, amounted to "legislating with our hearts instead of our heads." Indeed, the measure only added to a foreign-aid budget that is already likely to be deeply slashed by the Gramm-Rudman budget-balancing mechanism. The bill is unlikely to pass the Senate.

By the end of her nine-day, four-city U.S. tour, Aquino garnered not just the affection of the Americans she had met but their respect. The woman who a year ago had been widely regarded as an untutored political amateur, famous only as the widow of the assassinated opposition leader Benigno (Ninoy) Aquino Jr., had no trouble persuading official Washington that a strategic U.S. ally in the Pacific is in capable hands. "She knows how to deal with the problems of the Philippines," said a senior U.S. official. "She's really done a hell of a job."

Aquino went a long way toward proving her credibility during her meetings with Reagan. At their private session in the Oval Office and a working lunch afterward, Aquino assured Reagan that her government would respect the existing agreement regarding the two major U.S. military bases in the Philippines, Subic Bay Naval Station and Clark Air Base. For months Aquino has been under intense pressure from many supporters to renounce the American military presence. The current pact expires in 1991 but is scheduled for review by both signatories in 1988. Said Reagan: "That gives us and the people of the Philippines plenty of time to think about it."

Aquino's position was bolstered in Manila, where a 48-member commission, charged by Aquino with drafting a new constitution, defeated a move by leftist delegates to ban all foreign military bases from Philippine soil. Instead, the commission agreed to leave the issue out of the constitution, making lease extensions for the U.S. military bases subject to legislative approval.

Aquino did her best to persuade President Reagan that if the economic wreckage that she inherited from former President Ferdinand Marcos, including a $26 billion foreign debt, is to be repaired, U.S. aid levels will have to rise. After their meetings, the two Presidents emerged on the White House portico for a press conference and a ceremony at which Treasury Secretary James Baker signed over to the Philippines $100 million in economic aid and $50 million in military assistance. In addition, the U.S. donated $20 million in medical supplies. All but the $20 million, however, was part of a $505 million 1986 aid package that was already in the pipeline before Aquino took office.

By far the most sensitive issue discussed by the two leaders was the Philippines' Communist insurgency. Aquino reportedly stood firm in her belief that talks are a sensible first step toward peace. Nonetheless, she made it clear, as she told Congress, that her government would "not stand by and let an insurgent leadership spurn our offer of peace and kill our young soldiers and threaten our new freedom." If her peace effort fails, Aquino vowed, she will not hesitate to take up the "sword of war." Like Abraham Lincoln, she said, "I understand that force may be necessary before mercy." Last week White House and State Department officials went out of their way to support her position. "This Administration fully backs her efforts to find a peaceful solution to the war," said one senior U.S. official.

After her triumph in Washington, Aquino flew to New York City, where she met with business leaders in an effort to spur new investment in the Philippines and delivered an address in the TIME Distinguished Speakers series. At week's end she went to Boston to give a speech at Harvard and accept an honorary degree from Boston University, then visited her former home in suburban Newton, Mass., where she and her husband lived in exile for three years. She was scheduled to address the United Nations on Monday.

Her stunningly successful U.S. visit will not diminish the problems Aquino must face when she returns this week to Manila. But it certainly added a luster of political sophistication to her image as an honest, principled leader. And that should buy her much needed time -- and the increased loyalty of the Phil- ippine people -- in the difficult months ahead.

With reporting by William Stewart with Aquino