Airport Guards Block Escape of Wealth

MANILA â€”  In his security command center at Manila International Airport, Col. Manuel Espejo listened patiently Thursday as the two men plaintively explained what they said was an urgent business need to fly to a northern Luzon city in their small private aircraft.

He was sorry, he said. He apologized for the inconvenience. He sincerely hoped that they would be airborne very soon, since he was sure the two men posed no threat to the republic, but “it is no go at the present time.�

In an effort to prevent supporters of deposed Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos from fleeing the country with large sums of money obtained during Marcos’ 20-year regime, all non-emergency civil aviation has been banned at Philippine airports.

40 Flights a Day

At Manila International, this amounts to canceling about 40 flights a day. In addition, two battalions of air force security troops have been stationed at the airport. Every departing international airliner is searched for secret stashes of cash--�to prevent people from salting their money away overseas,� Espejo said. Also, each flight manifest is carefully screened at Defense Ministry headquarters for the names of close Marcos associates, or “cronies.�

If Espejo seemed particularly resolute in carrying out his duties, it was probably because he--as did so many other military officers--had a personal stake in the relatively bloodless revolution that ousted Marcos.

Tied in a bow on a pocket of his starched green jersey was a yellow ribbon--the symbol of his support for the new president, Corazon Aquino. Espejo, 45, the father of five children, was one of those who made his commitment last Saturday, three days before Marcos fled the country. Like Travis at the Alamo, he called a meeting of all his men on that day and asked them to join him in his fight against unjust rule.

All Joined Rebellion

“I asked them as a group; I said we will not receive any pay for our work from the government of the Philippines but we must join together. After 30 minutes, all my men agreed.�

When Marcos loyalists sent a tank to secure the airport Sunday, Espejo said he managed to persuade its crew to defect as well. “I was the only commander of any force able to capture a tank,� he joked.

The colonel’s men, also wearing yellow ribbons, practice crisp salutes, trot between their posts with new-found enthusiasm, their M-16 rifles at their sides. However, the flurry of activity has produced no significant results. So far, Espejo admitted, no caches of money have been recovered.

Only two men, both former ministers in the Marcos government, were detained after their names were discovered on the list maintained at the Defense Ministry. Energy Minister Geronimo Velasco and Justice Minister Estelito Mendoza were eventually permitted to leave the country.

Forgiving Policy

“Maybe we have taken a cue from our new president and decided to be forgiving,� the air force chief spokesman, Col. Pablo G. Gonzales suggested.

At her first presidential press conference Wednesday, Aquino said that she will not call for Marcos’ extradition from the United States. “I can be magnanimous in victory,� she said, explaining her decision.

Many of the most prominent of Marcos’ cronies apparently left the country before the new government began its campaign to monitor all departures. Wealthy Marcos supporters Eduardo Cojuangco and Roberto Benedicto left on Sunday, Cojuangco in a private jet for his ranch in Australia.