November 10, 1985

Ferdinand E. Marcos demonstrated last week the kind of political skill that has allowed him to survive as President of the Philippines for 20 years. Under unusually strong United States prodding to face up to the threat of a Communist insurgency by introducing clean, democratic government, Mr. Marcos called for an election Jan. 17 to settle the ''silly'' charge that his Government is inadequate. The fact that Mr. Marcos made the announcement during an interview on American television while most Filipinos were asleep indicated how much more he was responding to pressures from Washington than to internal ones.

THE first problem in dealing with the noises, smells and other major and minor nuisances of life in New York apartments is determining exactly what a nuisance is. And that is no small task. After all, one man's Mozart might bring on another's migraine, while the sweet scent of sushi might be just the smell of dead fish to those whose noses are not so inclined. And even a common air-conditioner, quiet enough to some ears, can drive other people mad, not with its volume but with its mind-numbing, endless throbbing hum. Within this jungle of subjective feelings, emotions, and passions, however, there is a framework for dealing with noise and nuisance in residential buildings in a facts-and-figures sort of way. The city's 1972 Noise Control Act regulates such things as maximum sound levels at construction sites and commercial and industrial operations and the hours that certain work is permitted. And since 1969, the city's Building Code has required that certain demonstrable noise-abatement measures be included in all new buildings.

THE Federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expected to decide this week whether to authorize an emergency preparedness drill for the Shoreham nuclear power plant. Such a drill could simulate the participation of state and county officials. But an array of state and Long Island officials said last week that the drill would be illegal and contrary to common sense. In the most recent escalation of the Shoreham controversy, a top adviser to Governor Cuomo said the state would take legal action if necessary to block the drill. ''We are opposed to it and we will take any measures necessary to stop it,'' said the adviser, Fabian Palomino.

THE cessation of tolls on the Connecticut Turnpike is costing the state millions of dollars in expenses that range from the redemption of an outstanding 10 million tokens to overtime for state police patrolling the areas where the tollbooths are coming down. The free rides are also adding tens of thousands of vehicles to the turnpike. ''It's a freeway now,'' said William E. Keish, the chief spokesman for the State Transportation Department. He attributed the increase partly to travelers who used to leave the highway to avoid the tolls but are now staying on it.

Barbra Streisand, a singer whose recent attempts to keep up with pop music's changing trends have been artistically shaky, has just released what may be the album of a lifetime. ''Barbra Streisand - The Broadway Album'' contains 15 classic songs spanning more than half a century of musical theater, from ''Showboat'' to ''Sunday in the Park With George.'' Most were recorded with an old-time studio orchestra. ''The Broadway Album'' soars with full-bodied, tender bel canto renditions of ballads by Stephen Sondheim, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Jerome Kern, and a ''Porgy and Bess'' medley that stand among the most thrilling performances of her 23-year recording career. Miss Streisand's return to a style of music she abandoned 15 years ago as uncommercial is a career coup that has surprised Columbia Records by having netted 800,000 advance orders for the album. It is also something of a historic milestone in that Miss Streisand persuaded Stephen Sondheim, who is represented by six songs (eight counting two lyrics from ''West Side Story''), to rewrite three songs for the project, including ''Send in the Clowns.'' In a rare interview last week, Miss Streisand, who was in New York to make a video for the song ''Somewhere'' (from ''West Side Story''), talked about her career in show business and the high price of her legendary perfectionism.