A Philippine official said Monday that a legendary collection of shoes and other possessions left behind by former first lady Imelda Marcos and her dictator husband, Ferdinand Marcos, when they were ousted by a 1986 "people power" revolt have no historical significance, except for some Philippine-made gowns.
The Philippine House of Representatives impeached the Supreme Court chief justice Monday over alleged corruption and favoritism toward the country's former president, now under hospital arrest for alleged election fraud.
Philippines President Benigno Aquino III this week criticized former U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney for relying on poor intelligence in her assessment of him as a weak and bashful politician.
After belittling former Philippines President Corazon Aquino, the former U.S. ambassador in Manila described her son, the country's current president, as bashful and timid.
Facing outrage from officials in the Philippines, the former U.S. ambassador in Manila mounted a weak defense: "Don't believe all you read."
From the fist-pumping crowds to the anguished dictators, the pro-reform revolts reshaping Arab history resemble the 1986 Philippine uprising that booted a strongman 25 years ago. But the similarity ends with the killing of protesters from Tunisia to Libya.
The dramatic come-from-behind election of Benigno (Noynoy) S. Aquino III as president of the Philippines breathes new life into Philippine democracy. It signals a return of "people power," which was the hallmark of Mr. Aquino's mother, Corazon Aquino, who succeeded the Marcos regime as president in 1986. The corruption of Noynoy's predecessor, the regime of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, was well-known. The regime provided unfettered access to China, which then poured billions of dollars into the Philippines to further its own objectives.
Basket-case countries rarely get unambiguous opportunities for real reform. That's what the Philippines has now with the presidency of Benigno Aquino III, who was sworn in on June 30. The stakes are high for Asia's oldest democracy, which long has been mired in civil war, debt, poverty and corruption.
PHILIPPINES
