Word: vers
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
That was precisely what most worried Washington. Since Marcos declared martial law 13 years ago, the Philippine military has grown into a modern force of 230,000. But under General Fabian Ver, the armed forces' Chief of Staff, it has also become top-heavy with brass and riddled by corruption. Sagging morale has spawned sharp divisions within the ranks. A reformist movement, composed predominantly of young officers concerned about the corps' lack of professionalism, has emerged in the past year (see box). At his press conference, Marcos pointedly maintained that the bulk of the Philippine military supports him. Indeed, many...
Central to the motivation of both men was General Ver, who had effectively appropriated their functions within the military and the Cabinet. The U.S. has long pressured Marcos to get rid of Ver, who last December was acquitted along with 25 others of conspiracy charges in the August 1983 assassination of Ninoy Aquino at Manila International Airport. Marcos announced last week that Ver would retire on March 1 and Ramos would become "acting" head of the armed services. But most military and government officials speculated that Ver would still keep his more powerful position as director of the civilian intelligence...
...voluntary organizations and the Roman Catholic Church. Such drastic measures may not be necessary if a peaceful way can be found to ease Marcos out. But that moment may still be a while in coming. At a press conference on Sunday, Marcos produced several more conspirators and, with General Ver close at hand, reiterated that he was in control of the Philippine military. "Contrary to the claim of some people," said Marcos, "the armed forces is united behind the President." Ramos, on the other hand, contended that 95% of the country's provincial commanders were sympathetic to the reformists...
...Filipinos by surprise, both men have long been known to sympathize with the military reform movement. Only last April the two persuaded President Ferdinand Marcos to meet with junior officers to discuss their complaints. At the time, Ramos was standing in for Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Fabian Ver, who along with 25 others was facing conspiracy charges in the assassination of Opposition Leader Benigno Aquino Jr. (he was later acquitted). Ramos, a West Point graduate who has been in the army for 35 years, has a reputation for honesty, integrity and evenhandedness. But when he proposed sweeping personnel...
...Over the past two decades he has emerged as a discreet internal critic of the Marcos government, even though he was an architect and implementer of the 1972 martial law crackdown. Although Enrile had never openly criticized the President until now, despite a humiliating loss of power to General Ver, which Marcos ) sanctioned, as long as two years ago he had begun privately to confide his concerns about Ver's broad powers. If Marcos again declared martial law, he said, he would feel compelled to quit his post...