Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos proclaimed martial law and assumed dictatorial powers 18 months ago. Since then, he has tried to restore an atmosphere of normalcy to his troubled country. In some respects, it appears that he is succeeding. Gas rationing has been lifted and the curfew has been cut to three hours. Tourists are once again flocking in to savor Manila's uninhibited night life and to take advantage of its excellent shopping bargains. American businessmen, who have invested $1 billion in the Philippines since World War II, are again confidently signing up new projects. Reynolds Aluminum, for instance, recently agreed to put up a $200 million aluminum smelter in Leyte.
Yet Marcos faces a host of problems.
Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. of the opposition Liberal Party—who would probably now be President had Marcos stepped down at the end of his elected term on Dec. 30—is still in jail on a raft of questionable charges, including murder. Hundreds of other political dissidents are also under detention. Marcos' heavyhanded use of martial law has come under increasing attack from the Roman Catholic Church, to which 90% of all Filipinos belong. The hierarchy has accused the government of harassment. Church schools have been taxed, foreign-born priests arrested and convents ransacked. Despite Marcos' periodic claims that his army has crushed the rebellion in the south, where Moslem insurgents are struggling to establish an independent state, the fighting has actually grown fiercer.
Not the least of his problems will be renegotiation with the U.S. of the Laurel-Langley Treaty, which is due to expire July 3. It allows Philippine sugar and other exports to enter the U.S. duty free. U.S. officials believe that Marcos will try to use the two big American military enclaves, Clark Air Force Base and Subic Bay naval base, as leverage in his negotiation of a new trade agreement—a linkage the U.S. does not accept.
Last week President Marcos, 56, discussed these and other issues in a three-hour interview at Malacanang Palace in Manila with TIME Hong Kong Bureau Chief Roy Rowan. Cabled Rowan: "The small, sinewy President is possibly the most athletic chief of state in the world—a below-par golfer, water skier, pelota player and former wrestler and boxer—and he looked ready for 15 rounds. 'Never make a big decision when you're angry, hungry or happy,' he declared at the outset of our interview. So it was with extreme deliberation that he deftly explained the moves with which he has perpetuated his power and the need, as he sees it, to save his country from 'a cocktail of anarchy.' " Excerpts from the interview:
ON MARTIAL LAW: Actually, we have removed it. Now the authority to issue decrees, the power to issue orders with the effect of law, is the only power that exists. It could be considered a carry-over from martial law. We no longer arrest people except in cases of flagrante delicto, caught right in the act of committing a crime. We have not openly admitted this because it would weaken our situation in areas where there is fighting. Where there is fighting, we arrest suspects without any evidence against them in accordance with the rules of national security.