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Two figures close to Laurel joined the Cabinet: Luis Villafuerte, 50, an investment banker and lawyer, who was chosen to head a presidential commission on government reorganization, and Ernesto Maceda, 50, also a lawyer, who received the Natural Resources portfolio. Both men, like Laurel, are former Marcos allies who severed their ties with him some years ago.
For balance on the other side, Aquino chose two center-left Assemblymen from the Pilipino Democratic Party-Laban. Aquilino Pimentel, 50, repeatedly jailed during the Marcos period for opposing the government, became Minister of Local Government, while Ramon Mitra, 58, an outspoken rancher, assumed the post of Minister of Agriculture. Aquino repaid debts to political independents who strongly supported her during the bitterly contested election. Among them: Jaime Ongpin, 47, the chairman of the Benguet Mining Corp. and one of her main campaign strategists, who was named Finance Minister, and Jose Concepcion, 54, a businessman and head of the National Movement for Free Elections, a citizens' watchdog group, who became Minister of Trade and Industry.
The most important carryover from the Marcos era was Defense Minister Enrile, 62, who, with General Ramos, mounted the daring rebellion that proved to be the catalyst for Marcos' fall and Aquino's ascension. Enrile's entry into the Aquino government changed the equation of power in the ruling coalition. The Minister is personally popular with many Aquino backers, but his longstanding ties to Marcos (whom he served as defense chief for 16 years) and his own undisguised presidential ambitions make them uneasy. They are aware that they would not have gained power had it not been for Enrile's defiance of Marcos, but there is resentment, even fear, of the influence the Defense Minister may exert, particularly if the coalition proves to be fractious. Sensitive to the criticism, the Harvard-educated Enrile went out of his way last week to underscore his commitment to the new government. "Do you think we would have laid down our lives for a corrupt purpose?" he said. "If these (doubters) will give me time to show them what kind of person I am, I will show them."
Aquino seemed less concerned than her colleagues about a long-term threat from Enrile and gave him credit for the critical role he played in catapulting her into office. "I am not engaging in a popularity contest," she said when asked about Enrile's new hero status among many Filipinos. Retaining the Defense Minister and General Ramos, 57, represents both pluses and minuses for the President. On the one hand, they provide vital links to the 230,000-member armed forces, which she needs to keep order and to fight the Communist insurgents. On the other hand, the duo's long association with Marcos may make them suspect in the eyes of her longtime aides, who are not totally convinced that their eleventh-hour conversion was sincere.