The air of expectation was palpable last week outside the gates at the presidential MalacaƱang Palace in the capital city of Manila. Participants arriving for a specially scheduled Cabinet meeting and a caucus of the ruling New Society Movement (K.B.L.) began queuing up at the palace an hour and a half early. At last, Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos called on his ministers to endorse their main item of business: Cabinet Bill No. 7, a call for elections to choose a President and Vice President on Jan. 17, 1986, 16 months ahead of schedule. The order was approved within seconds.
Moments...