Fidel Ramos vows peaceful transfer of power<\/p>\n
GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines (Reuter): Philippine President
\nFidel Ramos said yesterday he would not stand for reelection and
\npledged a peaceful transfer of power to his successor when his
\nterm ends next year.<\/p>\n
\"I will not run for reelection, period, period, period,\" Ramos
\nsaid in this southern Philippine city upon his return from a 10-
\nday foreign trip.<\/p>\n
\"There shall be an orderly transition of power to whoever he
\nor she may be,\" Ramos told 5,000 people at the General Santos
\nCity airport.<\/p>\n
It was Ramos' first categorical statement that he would step
\ndown since the Roman Catholic church launched a major offensive
\nagainst him for attempts by his aides to change the constitution
\nso he could stand for a second term.<\/p>\n
Ramos's statement was apparently intended to soften the impact
\nof today's planned mass rally in Manila organized by the church
\nwhich had accused him of tinkering with the constitution and
\naspiring to be a dictator.<\/p>\n
The Philippine constitution limits a president to a single
\nsix-year term and the church said changing it could open the
\ndoors to a dictatorship of the kind that Ferdinand Marcos imposed
\non the country in 1972.<\/p>\n
Marcos was ousted from power in a 1986 popular revolt.<\/p>\n
The term limits were imposed when the constitution was
\nrewritten 10 years ago after the fall of Marcos, who had kept a
\ngrip on power for 20 years.<\/p>\n
Ramos repeated his earlier pledge not to impose martial law to
\nkeep himself in power beyond June 1998 when his term ends.<\/p>\n
\"I will not proclaim martial law. I will not order the
\nmilitary and the PNP (Philippine National Police) to undertake
\nmilitary action which will be misconstrued to be a declaration of
\nmartial law,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Let's elect the best official in 1998,\" Ramos said.<\/p>\n
Ramos, who was hailed as a hero for having turned the economy
\naround after he took over in 1992, fell foul of the influential
\nchurch two weeks ago when he said he was keeping his options open
\non reelection.<\/p>\n
This was an about turn from Ramos' earlier pledges that he
\nwould step down next year.<\/p>\n
In the past two weeks, the church and former president Corazon
\nAquino had whipped up such a frenzy over the issue that many
\nfeared prolonged political instability.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, two bombs were found in Manila churches but police
\ndefused both. It was not known who planted them.<\/p>\n
Last month the bombings of a bus and bus terminal killed five
\npeople and wounded 60.<\/p>\n
The government has blamed leftist rebels for the attacks but
\nopposition politicians charged they were carried out by the
\nmilitary as part of an alleged plot to justify a declaration of
\nmartial law by Ramos.<\/p>",
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