1983,July
Marcos turned down Enrile's and Ramos's offers to resign. August 7, Marcos underwent surgery for a renal transplant. Acute rejection occurred; the transplanted kidney was removed forty-eight hours later. August 21, Aquino returned from self-imposed exile in the United States and was slain as he stepped off a China Air Lines plane at the Manila International Airport; his funeral drew millions of Filipinos to the streets in defiance of the dictator. December, Ramos's Special Action Force joined up with Enrile's Security Operations Group; the two units underwent battle training supervised by British mercenaries.

1984
In May's Batasan Pambansa elections, Ninoy's widow, Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, threw her support behind opposition parties UNIDO (United Nationalist Democratic Organization) and PDP-LABAN (Pilipino Democratic Party-Lakas ng Bayan). Despite allegations of fraud on the KBL side, her candidates won 56 seats out of 183. In October, the Fact-Finding Board found Ver, 24 other soldiers, and one civilian indictable for the murder of Aquino; Ver went on leave of absence and Ramos was appointed Acting Chief of Staff. In November, Marcos underwent a second renal transplant. Rumors of Marcos dying and Ver taking over were rife. Enrile began to admit publicly that he would like to be president in the future, when Marcos was no longer interested.
1985 February
Ver et al stood trial before the Sandigan Bayan for the Aquino assassination. March, the RAM went public at PMA's homecoming ceremonies. In his speech to the graduating class the next day, Ramos confirmed the need for reforms and proposed sweeping changes to strengthen the demoralized military in the face of a mounting Communist insurgency. Soon after, Col. Jose Almonte, former director of a Marcos think-tank, joined RAM.
July
Marcos removed the Integrated National Police from Enrile's ministry and placed it under direct presidential control. August, opposition Members of Parliament filed a motion to impeach Marcos, citing culpable violation of the Constitution and allegations of "hidden wealth." RAM firmed up coup plans for the day after Christmas. US Senator Richard Lugar, head of the Committee on Foreign Relations, sent a member of his staff, Frederick Brown, to Manila to evaluate the deteriorating situation. Brown concluded that one of the few promising developments was the emergence of the RAM, a group that the Pentagon and CIA happened to be quietly encouraging.
September
A US defense attache confirmed that Malacañang had issued secret and undated warrants for the arrest of RAM leaders.
October
In Washington D.C., a secret strategy meeting attended by retired General Edward G. Lansdale discussed 2 questions: whether to keep the U.S. bases in the Philippines; if yes, how to shift control of the AFP from Ver to the RAM. US Sen. Paul Laxalt visited Marcos to convey Reagan's concerns about the communist threat and to discuss CIA director William Casey's idea of holding snap elections, if only to disarm his liberal critics in America. Joaquin "Chino" Roces launched the "Cory Aquino for President Movement" (CAPM). A week later, Cory agreed to run if (1) Marcos called snap elections, and (2) if the CAPM gathered the promised million signatures.
November 3
Marcos declared on American television that he would run in snap presidential polls three months hence. November 19, the Batasan Pambansa set February 7 as the date for the snap polls. November 30, Cory was presented with more than a million signatures drafting her as presidential contender.
December 2
Ver et al were acquitted by the Sandigan Bayan of complicity in the Aquino assassination. The very next day, Cory declared her candidacy under the UNIDO banner, with former Senator Salvador Laurel as her running mate. December 23, the Communist Party of the Philippines sounded the call to boycott the snap elections. December 28, Ambassador Leticia Ramos Shahani announced her resignation from the Philippine foreign service to join Cory Aquino. December 31, KBL stalwarts began defecting to UNIDO. IBM Philippines refused to take part in the COMELEC's computerization plans.
1986 January
Their coup plans on hold, RAM launched "Kamalayan '86," a series of prayer rallies and consciousness-raising seminars funded by anti-Marcos businessmen led by Jaime Ongpin, to impress the need for clean and honest elections upon members of the military. Meanwhile, in separate meetings, key officers sketched Cory Aquino and Fidel Ramos their coup plans. The reformist military tried, and failed, to convince Cory that she had no chance of winning at the polls..
February 4
A 21-member bi-partisan delegation of US senators, congressmen, and private citizens arrived in Manila to monitor the elections.
February 5
An estimated million, the largest political gathering in the nation's history, attended Mrs. Aquino's miting de avance. NAMFREL (National Movement for Free Elections) announced it would post poll-watchers to prevent fraud in the counting. At least five banks, known to have ties with the Marcos regime, experienced a run.
February 7
Election Day. NAMFREL mobilized 400,000 volunteers to monitor voting, challenge wrongdoing, and guard against fraud. Broadcast alerts over Radio Veritas urged volunteers into troubled areas to stop ballot boxes from being stolen or tampered with.|
February 8
Cory Aquino took the lead in NAMFREL's tally of precinct results. She vowed massive protests and daily street demonstrations if cheated. The government's counting proceeded more slowly and showed Marcos leading.
February 9
Led by Linda Kapunan, thirty computer technicians manning the COMELEC tabulation machines walked out of their posts in protest over alleged deliberate changing of election results. A multinational team of observers cited cases of vote-buying, intimidation, snatching of ballot boxes, tampered election returns, and the disenfranchisement of thousands of voters, specially in Metro Manila, by the ruling party.
February 10
Defense Minister Enrile warned of greater political instability. "Any untoward events may cause the country to swing either to the extreme right or to the extreme left." In either case, he said, only the Communist Party would benefit. Gen. Fabian Ver said that the recent election was "the most peaceful in the history of the country," and exhorted AFP men to keep up the good work.
February 11
Laban leader Evelio Javier, former governor of Antique, was gunned down in broad daylight. The Batasan Pambansa formally began the canvass of election returns. Reagan said "hard evidence" of fraud was lacking, and he would send Philip Habib to mediate between the ruling party and the opposition camp. Cory Aquino asked "friends abroad" to set aside "short-sighted self-interest" and stop supporting "a failing dictator." This, as President Marcos invited her to join his government and "actively participate" in a planned Council of State.
February 12
The Philippine peso fell drastically to an all-time low of P20 to a dollar, dropping by 75 centavos from its rate the day before.
February 13
President Marcos took a virtually irreversible lead over opposition candidate Corazon C. Aquino in the Batasan's official canvass of votes. This, despite efforts of opposition MP's to point out defects in almost all certificates of canvass opened by Speaker Nicanor Yniguez. Statistical improbabilities were also cited.
February 14
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued its strongest statement ever, warning that a government which "assumes or retains power through fraud" would have "no moral basis." President Marcos's lead widened to 1.5 million votes, with only 1.1 million votes remaining uncanvassed.

Marcos called a meeting of senior generals--Ver, Ramos, Josephus Ramas of the Army, Vicente Piccio of the Air Force, Brilliante Ochoco of the Navy, and Prospero Olivas of the Metropolitan Command. Discussed were: the disciplining of military reformists and arrest of their leaders; the arrest and assassination of opposition leaders--Neptali Gonzales, Ramon Mitra, Homobono Adaza, Luis Villafuerte, Aquilino Pimentel, Rene Saguisaag, Joe Concepcion, Dante Santos, Ting Paterno, Jaime Ongpin, Vicente Jayme, among others; the declaration of a state of emergency; the arrest and liquidation of Enrile.
February 15
The Batasan Pambansa formally proclaimed Marcos winner of the February 7 elections; all 50 opposition Members of Parliament walked out in protest. Trade Minister Roberto Ongpin, speaking for the economic technocrats, assured Marcos of support if he undertook reforms in military, political, and economic areas; Marcos signed an agreement to the effect. Philip Habib arrived in Manila.
February 16
At a "victory rally," Corazon Aquino called for coordinated strikes and the boycott of crony media, 7 banks, Rustan's Department Store, and San Miguel Corporation in a civil disobedience campaign aimed at toppling Marcos from power. Marcos announced that Ver had resigned as AFP Chief of Staff and NISA director-general and that Lt. Gen. Ramos would serve as Chief of Staff. The White House grudgingly admitted that the elections "were marred by fraud and violence perpetrated largely by the ruling party" and instructed Habib to work out a compromise with Cory.
February 17
Marcos extended Ver's term to the end of February to allow him to wind up his affairs. Habib met with Marcos, then with Cory. Cory bluntly refused anything less than Marcos's removal from office. She announced that she would go around the country to sound her call for civil disobedience and non-violent protest actions; her first stops, Cebu and Davao, the coming weekend. (Habib also met privately with Ramos and Enrile over the next few days.)

Crony banks, corporations, and media were hit hard by the boycott. Deposit withdrawals were reportedly heavy not only in the seven banks in Cory's boycott list but also in banks either partly or wholly owned by known Marcos cronies. Nestle pulled out its ads from government TV Channel 4 and newspaper Bulletin Today. San Miguel-A shares went down to as low as P11.50 per share, while B shares went down to P14.50 per.

Not far behind in financial fiasco was the beverage industry. Beer quaffers had suddenly shifted to gin or hard drinks. Restaurants, eateries and cafes refused to serve San Miguel beer as well as Coca Cola, Sprite and Royal True Orange. A small number also stopped drinking Pepsi Cola, Seven-Up and Mirinda, thinking that these softdrinks were also under the control of a crony.
February 18
The peso fell to P22.04 to the dollar. NAMFREL chairman Jose Concepcion, Jr. said at least 3.27 million voters, mostly from areas considered as opposition bailiwicks, were unable to cast their votes in the February 7 election. Enrile's American friends warned him that Ver was positioning his forces around Metro Manila.
February 19
The US Senate voted 85 to 9 in favor of a declaration that the snap elections were marked by "widespread fraud." Col. Irwin Ver placed the Presidential Security Command on red alert. US bishops announced their support of the local clergy's election protests.
February 20
Testifying before a US House subcomittee, Asst. Secretary of State Paul H. Wolfowitz disclosed that Reagan's offer of new aid was "in abeyance" as long as Marcos remained in office. Diplomats from 15 nations - Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Japan, Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, and West Germany - called on Mrs. Aquino who told them she was determined to assume the presidency "at the earliest possible time." Jeepney drivers, consumerists, students, and academicians joined the boycott wagon. RAM set the coup for Sunday, February 23, at 2:00 AM. Col. Almonte detailed the plans to Gen. Ramos.
February 21
Marcos admitted he was "nervous" about the decisions of foreign governments to boycott his February 25 inauguration and that he was launching a diplomatic offensive to inform foreign governments about what transpired in the polls. In a 35-minute meeting with Habib, Aquino advised the envoy to "wait and see...let events speak for themselves." Ver informed Marcos that Ramos and Enrile and his Trade Minister Roberto Ongpin were involved with RAM in a CIA plot to assassinate the president. Enrile received information that Ver had ordered his men to prepare for a series of arrests; he wrote a letter of resignation which he said he would deliver to Malacanang the following Monday.

Despite rumors of a weekend coup by RAM and suggestions that she stay put in Manila, Mrs. Aquino said she would fly to Cebu as scheduled Saturday morning to pursue her civil disobedience campaign.

In less than a week since Aquino's call for a boycott of crony-owned or aligned banks and business establishments, there was a total of P1.78 billion in withdrawals from crony banks and the Philippine National Bank, Security Bank & Trust Company, Republic Planters Bank, and Traders Royal Bank. The first to get their money out of the crony banks were groups belonging to the clergy; in Union Bank, the clergy represented at least 12 % of its deposit base. As a result, deposit upsurges were recorded in Bank of the Philippine Islands, Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company, and Citibank. Bulletin today, the country's largest circulated newspaper (circulation 350,000) trailed behind the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Malaya, and the Manila Times. Rustan's department store was empty; most of their customers moved over to SM Shoemart, Anson's, and Robinson's.

The political opposition said it was ready to set up a provisional government with strong backing from concerned military officers and their men if Marcos insisted on remaining in power. "Mrs Aquino and I have been approached by sufficiently high military officers," Laurel said, who had secretly pledged support for the opposition and the democratic process. Laurel stressed that he was not calling for a military take-over. "We just want to let Mr. Marcos know that his threat to use the military against the people will not work out."