US PRESIDENT Ronald Reagan, longtime personal friend
of Ferdinand Marcos, himself confirmed that Cory Aquino asked
the Americans to take the strongman out of the Philippines, despite his
demand to be brought to his home province, Ilocos Norte. Reagan's narrative is
the fifth account* debunking the Yellow version of events.
The movie "Maid in Malacañang" has quite suddenly
raised this in the public's consciousness. Historical trivia it may seem, but
it is a major revelation that should prod us to reevaluate how Cory captured
power and what really was the EDSA event that brought Marcos down.
Ironically, it is the historian of the very strong Yellow bent,
Lamberto Raymundo ("Ambeth") Ocampo, who first reported Reagan's
account of this in his column of Aug. 10, 2022. His column though, as we shall
see, is a case study of how even purportedly objective historians cannot accept
reality even if it stares them in the face.
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| (photo credit to owner) |
Following is the relevant portion of Ocampo's piece, only very
slightly edited for readability:
"The
Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in California made Reagan's Daily Diaries for the years 1981 to 1989 accessible online.
Entries relevant to Philippine history begin on the weekend of Feb. 22-23, 1986:
Situation
'I got some homework done but also had conference calls
regarding the Philippine situation. On Sunday morning, I approved a letter from
me to Marcos begging him not to resort to force. His defense minister Juan
Ponce Enrile and acting chief of the Army Fidel V. Ramos** have
resigned and taken some troops with them. At one point, Marcos ordered troops
and tanks to go to where the rebels were based but 100's of 1,000's [sic] of
civilians blocked them and the tanks turned back.
... Back in Washington, I met with Cap, John, George and Don in
the situation room — well the room was full with representatives from State,
Defense, Sec. Treasury, V.P., etc., and, of course, Philip Habib —
just back from Manila. It was a long meeting with no disagreement but lots of
frustration. Pres. Marcos is stubborn and refuses to admit he can no longer
govern. I made the point that a message from me must appeal to him on the
grounds that if there is violence I'll be helpless to continue support for the
Philippines. We must not try to lay down the law. All we can do now is send the
message by way of National Security Council staffer Sigure who is in Japan and
pray.
Feb.
24, 1986:
The day started at 5:30 a. m. with a call from John P. and Don
R. The situation in the Philippines is deteriorating. The Marcos family
and the Vers left the Palace and went to the airport. Then Gen. Ver apparently
talked them out of leaving. Back in the Palace, they went on T.V. The Pres. and
the Gen. They got in an argument. The Gen. wanted to launch an attack on the
military that has gone over to the anti-Marcos people. The Pres. said no. Well,
all of this ended in sleep for me.
In the office at 9 — the staff meeting and NSC were on the same
subject. I was approving statements for delivery to the Pres. — pleading for no
violence.
"... Then a call from Nancy — what to say to Imelda
Marcos who was calling her? At the same time, I'm told by Paul Laxalt,
Geo. S., John Poindexter and Don R. were coming in about Paul's call
to Marcos. We've agreed that he should be told I'm recommending he step down
and we'll take the lead in negotiating his safety and offering him sanctuary in
the US. He says he wants to live out his life in the Philippines. Well we'll
try to negotiate that.
Feb.
25, 1986:
The call this morning was at 6:45. Pres. Marcos and his family
and close circle, I was told, are in our Clark Airbase. We
don't know yet his destination but he's said he wants to stay in the
Philippines. He has a home in Northern Luzon. In the office, I
was met by George S. and the V.P., Cap, John, Don, etc. We
are ordering our Ambassador and others to contact Aquino to see if we could
persuade her to accept his staying in the Islands with a promise of security.
As the day went on, we learned she wasn't going to do that. He
incidentally is quite ill and is bedridden at Clark. By evening, we learned his
party had left by medivac plane for Guam. He was carried to the plane on a
stretcher." [Emphasis by this columnist]
Feb.
26, 1986:
Pres. Marcos and his party departed Guam and are now at Hickam
Field Hawaii. They will stay at the base possibly 72 hours then he will go to
his home on Diamond Head — Yes, he has one there, too. The delay at Hickam is
because of the large Filipino pop. — there might be demonstrations. We're going
to provide Secret S[ervice] protection for a limited time. So — no civil war
and we've proceeded to recognize the new Philippine govt.'"
The last sentence of Ocampo's column floored me:
"Historians may disagree on the past, its presentation, nuances and
meanings, but they always argue from established facts. EDSA 1986 happened, it
will not change significantly despite the Marcos version of events."
Didn't he read his own column? Doesn't the fact that Marcos was
shanghaied out of the country swiftly by the Americans on Cory's request,
change our history of EDSA 1986? Was that, as Ocampo claims, merely a
"presentation, nuance or meaning?"
Didn't he understand that what he wrote was contrary to the
Yellow version of the EDSA events that "Marcos fled Malacañang to
Hawaii" that in reality he most probably thought that Reagan might give
him a final favor and transport him and his party to Ilocos, where he could
negotiate a power-sharing arrangement or rally his troops to undertake a
counter revolution? Remember that contrary to the Yellow narrative, the heads
of the Army, Navy and Marines were still loyal to their commander-in-chief and
what Enrile and Ramos had were mostly the two dozen colonels of RAM, and their
close comrades, and Cardinal Sin with his faithful. But then, as his
own diary entry shows, Reagan betrayed him.
It was after Marcos had been brought out of the country, that
the commanders changed loyalty, as Cory had been declared president — their
commander-in-chief — by whom or what, to be frank, I would still have to
research on. Email me if you know who or what.
*Read my column of July 25, 2022: "Cory stopped US from
taking Marcos to Ilocos."
** Rather, Ramos at this time was acting chief of staff, as Gen. Fabian
Ver was suspended as chief of staff pending his acquittal by the
Sandiganbayan of the charge of involvement in Benigno Aquino Jr.'s
assassination. Ver, however, was acquitted in November 1985, and was expected
to replace Ramos in the following months.
*****
Quoted
fully from Mr. Rigoberto Tiglao’s column
The
Manila Times
August
12, 2022
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