Exiled Opposition Leader Returns to Manila Safely

MANILA —  Surrounded by opposition politicians and journalists, Philippine opposition leader Jovito S. Salonga stepped off a commercial airliner here Monday, ending almost four years of self-imposed exile in Los Angeles.

Salonga, 64, was greeted by applause and cheers from about 200 supporters at the same airport where the younger and more influential opposition leader Benigno S. Aquino Jr. was assassinated as he stepped off a plane upon his own return from U.S. exile Aug. 21, 1983. An inquiry charged the military with conspiring to kill Aquino.

Fifteen opposition leaders joined Salonga at Hong Kong to escort him on the flight to Manila and ensure his safety. Among them was Aquino’s brother, Agapito, and two former senators, Jose Diokno and Lorenzo Tanada.

Unlike Aquino, Salonga returned with the encouragement of Presi dent Ferdinand E. Marcos, who said Sunday that he welcomed “a stronger opposition.” The president had subversion charges against Salonga, a former senator, dropped after the opposition leader announced his intent to return.

The leader of a faction of the Liberal Party, Salonga told a news conference in Hong Kong that he was returning home to unify the opposition to topple Marcos, who has held power since 1965.