Sin hits out at Filipino ruling

CARDINAL JAIME SIN, Primate of the Philippines, has made a public statement criticising the verdict reached by the courts in the Aquino trial.
Cardinal Sin said that the acquittal of General Fabian Ver and 25 others of involvement in the 1983 murder of opposition leader Benign() Aquino "threatens to push our country to the brink of violence and despair". He condemned the court's decision as a lost opportunity to "restore the credibility of government and to satisfy our people's aspirations for truth and justice".
Several hundred demonstrators had in fact stood outside the court, and had later marched to the presidential palace.
Four star general Ver resumed full duties on Monday, the day of his acquittal, as Chief of Staff of the Philippines. He had been accused of conspiring to cover up alleged military involvement in the assassination.
The reinstatement of General Ver will pose a serious problem for President Ferdinand Marcos, as the Reagan administration has often come out against the general. '11w day before General Ver's acquittal, the widow of the assassinated opposition leader, Corazon Aquino, unofficially announced her candidacy fur the presidency.
During a Mass in Manila, Mrs Aquino told thousands of supporters that she will announce her candidacy officially once President Marcos signs a bill calling for an early election on February 7. Mrs Aquino was presented with a million signatures of her supporters during a rally at her house following her announcement.
A coalition of Filipino opposition politicians said they agreed on Mrs Aquino as their candidate in the presidential election. Church sources say Cardinal Sin plans to support the widow. Mrs Aquino's candidacy is viewed by many as a dangerous and ultimately futile move on her part.
Mrs Aquino, despite her supporters' fears, said, in the words of her late husband "I will never be able to forgive myself if 1 live with the knowledge that I could have done, something and did nothing".