Marcos to Ateneo faculty: ‘Let’s agree to disagree’

BIÑAN CITY — Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. remained unfazed as his critics accused him of “distorting” history in order to whitewash the atrocities committed during martial law.

“I am interested to know when did we distort history in any way. Wala naman kaming sinasabi na hindi totoo (We have not told a lie),” Marcos said here on Thursday.

“But again, people have their own opinion; they have the right to their opinion. We’ll agree to disagree,I guess,” he said.

Marcos was reacting to a statement issued by 412 faculty members of the Ateneo de Manila University, criticizing the son of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos for his “shameless refusal to acknowledge the crimes of the martial law regime.”

READ: Ateneo professors slam Bongbong Marcos’ ‘revision of history’

The Ateneo professors also disagreed to claims that the Philippine economy was at its peak during the Martial Law.

‘Bayanihan’ lost

Marcos visited this city on the second leg of his campaign sortie in Laguna province.

He was accompanied by his cousin and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez when he met with Laguna mayors. Romualdez is seeking a Senate seat.

On Thursday, Marcos spoke to a crowd of about 500 in a gym in the neighboring city of Sta. Rosa.

A 94-year-old woman, claiming to be a “Marcos loyalist,” had asked the senator to autograph a framed photograph of former President Marcos and an old poster of the Marcos family.

In his speech, Marcos called for unity among political parties, saying “bayanihan,” a common Filipino trait, “seemed to have been forgotten by some leaders.”

“Sa kakapamolitika, nakakalimutan na po ng iba na kami, bilang lingkod bayan, ay sumumpa na kami, ang gagawin lang namin…ay pagandahin ang buhay ng bawat Pilipino (While busy playing politics, others seemed to have forgotten that we, as public servants, have pledged to improve every Filipino’s life),” he said.

“Kaunti lang po ang magagawa ng isang grupo…Sa dinami-dami ng problema ng Pilipinas, kailangan po natin lahat ng sektor ng lipunan ay ipagkaisa po natin (A group can only do so much. With the Philippines facing many problems, we need to unite all sectors of society),” he said. JE