Renewing his campaign to secure military financing for the rebels, the president on Tuesday called for the lifting of restrictions on such assistance. Moreover, Reagan said, he had in mind more than "Band-Aids and mosquito nets."
Meanwhile, a House panel voted unanimously yesterday to halt direct U.S. aid to the government of President Marcos of the Philipines and to channel future humanitarian assistance and economic aid through the Roman Catholic church and other private groups.
Most military aid would go into an escrow account to await "a legitimate government...which commands the support of the people of the Philippines," the bill said.
In voting 9-0 in favor of the legislation, members of the subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs brushed aside objections from Reagan administration officials, who wanted the panel to wait until presidential emissary Philip Habib returns from Manila to report on his findings.
Stressing their bipartisan support, four Republicans joined five Democrats in favor of the bill.
Rep. Stephen J. Solarz, D-N.Y., the subcommittee chairman, said the bill would not be taken up by the full House Foreign Affairs Committee until after Habib returns, so that his findings would be given ample consideration before final passage.
But Solarz said he felt it was important to act quickly to send a signal to the Philippines that "we will not countenance a stolen election."
Two possible ways of getting a legitimate government, Solarz told reporters later, would be through a new election or "procedures to install the person who clearly won the election...I'm sure the Filipinos have the ingenuity to find a way."
He said the "dwindling ban" of Marcos supporters who should tell him he cannot survive without American supoport and should into retirement while there is still time."
A day earlier, the Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bipartisan, non-binding resolution declaring that the Philippines presidential election was fraudulent and does not express the sentiments of Filipinos.
Solarz said he had been assured by an intermediary earlier in the day that the legislation has the support of presidential opposition candidate Corazon Aquino, who has charged that fraud by Marcos and his supporters deprived her of victory in the Feb. 7 election.
Solarz, chairman of the House subcommittee, said his bill would channel humanitarian and economic assistance through the Catholic church and other non-government organizations in the Philippines, while placing military aid in an escrow account until "a legitimate government" came to power.
He said the bill would "send a message to the Philippine people that the United States has withdrawn its support for the Marcos regime while continuing its support and assistance for the Philippine people."