WORLD IN BRIEF : PHILIPPINES : Graft Charges Filed Against Marcos Ally

Criminal charges were filed against a political ally of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos. Eduardo Cojuangco was accused of fronting for Marcos to acquire stock in the Philippines’ largest daily newspaper. The charges came just three days after Cojuangco, an estranged cousin of President Corazon Aquino, slipped into Manila, ending four years of exile in the United States. Cojuangco, 54, is charged with the unlawful acquisition of shares of stock in the Bulletin Today publishing company. He is one of those named in 35 civil suits seeking the recovery of up to $10 billion that Marcos and his wife, Imelda, allegedly stole from the government.