WVFI sends proposal to ND administrators

MANILA, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos took an early lead over challenger Corazon Aquino yesterday in the official canvass by the National Assembly of last w eek’s presidential election. In a brief television appearance, Marcos pledged to "honor, w ithout reservations, the people's verdict at the polls and to ex tend our hand in conciliation to those w ho have co n ­ tested the election w ith us.” Aquino’s followers say Marcos probably will win the official tally because his New Society Movement party has a tw o thirds majority in the 190-m em ber assembly. Aquino, w ho has claim ed victory, requested that Marcos step dow n until the election is resolved, to "diffuse som e of the swelling politi­ cal anger in o u r country. ” “He is presently perceived at hom e and abroad as having unfairly deployed the full resources o f the state to snatch victory at any cost,” the 53-year-old challenger said. In W ashington, the chairman of the U.S. observer team, Senator Ric­ hard Lugar, R-Ind., suggested that if the Marcos governm ent is show n to have “fatally flawed” the counting, “my guess is Congress will not ap­ propriate m oney for military or financial aid ” for the Philippines. Special presidential envoy Philip Habib was due to leave for Manila in late afternoon after consulting at the State D epartm ent w ith experts on the Philippines. There have been many charges of w idespread fraud and voter in­ timidation, and the governm ent says at least 86 people died in election violence. A spokesman for Aquino said a campaign coordinator from her hom e province was killed early yesterday. Four hours into the count, Marcos led by 3,758,013 votes to 3,140,290, o r 54.5 percen t to 45.5 percen t a margin that has held steady since the counting began earlier in the day. Marcos’ vice presidential running mate, Assemblyman A rturo Tolentino, was leading opposition can­ didate Salvador Laurel.