News In Brief

April 10, 1984

TV films on Aquino death counter military reports

A fact-finding commission viewed dramatic television films Monday taken by American and Japanese journalists that contradict military accounts of opposition leader Benigno Aquino's assassination.

The films shown were made by crews of the American Broadcasting Company and Tokyo Broadcasting System who, along with several dozen other journalists, accompanied Mr. Aquino on his flight from Taipei to Manila.

The television tapes were replayed several times as the five-member commission took note of the time displayed at the bottom of a huge video recorder when the first gunshot rang out.

Attorney Raul Gonzales, president of the National Bar Association, who was observing the proceedings, said the television tapes ''corroborate'' the testimony of eight civilian witnesses who claim Aquino was shot on an airline staircase.