[Tonchi]

SOME people in the Philippines actually were better off under Marcos. That is why they would welcome a return of that family to power. Of course, Ferdinand is now dead and buried, but Imelda is still rabble-rousing around the country and there are plenty of people willing to support a take-over similar to the old Marcos regime. The common people, i.e. 99% of the inhabitants, forget that the reason things were so great during the Marcos days was the USA was still in charge of security and OUR money was the engine which drove the economy there. At this point our "occupation" is a distant memory and they could bring back 500 Marcoses and nothing would change. But Filipinos are not strong on logic, unfortunately, the great unwashed electorate there is not capable of figuring that out. They just want ANY change, they are easily influenced by promises and to this day have not been able to figure out that the last person who promised them a Cadillac in every hovel (deposed president Estrada) never gave them anything and instead stole the entire Treasury and sent it abroad with his buddy crooks. President Arroyo is a disgrace but she is the best of the worst and she is our firm ally. She will continue to see attempted coups for as long as she remains in the Philippines, simply because others there want to sit in her chair and pocket the money that SHE is pocketing now.