Swiftly, silently, 16 trucks and buses rolled into Manila under the cover of a moonless tropical night. The curious convoy carried an estimated 800 Philippine army troops, all loaded down with weapons. According to a carefully laid plan, the vehicles split up and, as midnight approached, drove to assigned points around the city. Two of the trucks proceeded to a key location: Malacanang Palace, the headquarters of President Corazon Aquino, 54. Asleep in her residence about 50 yds. away from the main building, Aquino did not hear their approach.
Shortly after 1 a.m., a woman sitting in a snack bar near the palace saw about 50 soldiers wearing black ski masks run past. Moments later the night was shattered by automatic-weapons fire and the blast of mortars and grenades. Those unexpected sounds of combat signaled the beginning last Thursday night of the bloodiest, most dangerous coup attempt yet mounted against Aquino's 18- month-old government.
Since coming to power in early 1986, Aquino has survived five coups and rumors of countless others. She has endured confrontations with the left and the right, with Communist rebels and prickly colonels. She has moved too quickly for some Filipinos, too slowly for others, as she tries to undo two decades of corrupt rule by her predecessor, Ferdinand Marcos. But along the way she has captured the imagination of both her country and the world with her gentle words and indomitable spirit.
Suddenly, a band of soldiers came closer than ever to destroying Cory Aquino and the country's budding democracy. To many observers, the violent raid on Malacanang by military rightists had all the marks of a last, desperate grab at power. But even if Aquino is not seriously weakened by last week's events, the foiled coup underscored the unwillingness of at least some Filipinos to give their President the time she needs to carry out her reforms. Once the gunfire died down and the smoke cleared, a troublesome question remained: Is the Philippines truly ready for democracy, or is it destined to slip once again into chaos?
Stealing through Manila's darkened streets, the mutinous troops apparently hoped to catch the night watch of the presidential security guard by surprise. But at Nagtahan Bridge, just 300 yds. from the palace, and along J.P. Laurel Street nearby, the mutineers were stopped by heavy fire from the defenders. As the fighting raged and red tracer bullets arced through the night sky, civilians and journalists who turned out to see what was going on suddenly found themselves in a murderous cross fire. "They just sprayed us with bullets," said Ricardo Medina, 20. "I saw with my own eyes at least four dead on the street, with bits and pieces of brains scattered on the cement."