Tañada on Marcos’ bid to revise history books: ‘We must not let the lies prevail’
NEVER FORGET THIS FACE In time for the 47th anniversary of the declaration of martial law during the Marcos regime in September last year, a papier-mâché depicting the late dictator was installed at the entrance of Palma Hall on the University of the Philippines Diliman campus in Quezon City. —Niño Jesus Orbeta
MANILA, Philippines — The renewed call of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to rewrite history textbooks is a “clear move at historical revisionism,” human rights lawyer and Liberal Party (LP) official Erin Tañada said Saturday.
“This is a clear move at historical revisionism and another desperate attempt by the Marcoses to erase the memory of the horrors of Martial Law and absolve the sins of their father,” Tañada, who is the opposition party’s vice president for external affairs, said in a statement.
“Nais ng mga Marcos na ibaon na lang sa limot ang mga pag-abusong nangyari noong panahon ng diktadurya kung saan libu-libong Pilipino ang pinatay at pinahirapan at bilyung-bilyong piso mula sa kaban ng bayan ang nakulimbat,” he added.
(The Marcoses wish to fade into oblivion the abuses committed during the dictatorial regime where thousands of Filipinos were killed and tortured, and billions of pesos from the national treasury were stolen.)
During a forum hosted by the National Press Club, Marcos, the son and namesake of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos renewed his call for the revision of textbooks, saying that the charges filed against his family have been quashed by the courts.
Bongbong Marcos wants textbooks revised: You’re teaching children lies
Marcos dismissed the accusations leveled against his family as mere political “propaganda.”
Supporting his claim of the Marcoses’ atrocities, Tañada cited the Amnesty International data, noting that 3,000 people died while 34,000 were tortured and 70,000 others were arrested when the country was placed under martial law.
Tañada also cited data of the World Bank-UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR), where it found that the late dictator amassed an estimated $5 billion to $10 billion in ill-gotten wealth.
The human rights lawyer then appealed: “We must all side with and fight for the truth. We must not let the lies being propagated by the Marcoses to prevail.”
After a bloodless “People Power” revolt chased Marcos into US exile in 1986, the Philippine government launched a global bid to recover at least $10 billion in assets that the Marcoses and their cronies acquired using funds allegedly stolen from state coffers over his 20-year rule.
It has recovered P172.6 billion ($3.4 billion at current market rates) so far, according to the government agency tasked with tracking down the assets.
In 2018, the Sandiganbayan sentenced Imelda Marcos to at least six years in prison for each of the seven charges that the family funnelled roughly $200 million of embezzled funds through Swiss foundations decades ago.
However, she remains free on bail after filing an appeal with the Supreme Court.
