Atienza tells Bongbong: You’re not a millennial to be ignorant of martial law atrocities

MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker reminded former senator Bongbong Marcos that he is not a millennial — or people belonging to a younger generation – so he knows what happened during his father’s martial law regime.

During the Pandesal forum on Thursday, Deputy Speaker and Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza said that Marcos is 64 years old, making him aware of the atrocities committed during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

Atienza even noted that Marcos Jr., before they fled the country during the 1986 People Power Revolution, wore combat fatigues as if he was ready to fight his fellow Filipinos to ensure his father stayed in power.

“Bongbong Marcos is not a millennial. He is a 64-year-old man today. He was a 26-year-old man during martial law.  So when they fled from the mobs of Filipinos rushing (to) Malacañang, he knew what was going on.  He knew that they fled. They escaped from the wrath of the Filipino,” Atienza said.

“So don’t tell me that you didn’t know what was going on, you knew what was going on, you know now if you did not notice the details of martial rule, abuses, and the effects on our economic condition, eh ngayon alam mo na.  You are not a millennial. You are a 64-year-old man too, you know,” he added.

According to Atienza, he can understand why some millennials are swayed by the Marcoses’ claims that their patriarch’s rule was the golden age in Philippine history, as some of them were not yet born during that time.

“‘Yong millennials, I do not blame you for not knowing what happened during martial law because you were not aware really, many of you were not even born, but Bongbong Marcos is not a millennial,” he explained.

“Ang sigaw no’ng araw, sobra na, tama na, palitan na.  ‘Yon din ang sigaw ngayon, magbigay naman kayo ng paumanhin, papaano naman ‘yong nawalan ng kapatid, ng anak, ng mga kabataang lumaban sa batas militar?  They’re all dead now, and you tell the parents forget it?” he added.

(The shout back then was enough, time is up, change the leadership. That’s still the shout up to today.  Please extend your apologies, how about those who lost siblings, children, and the youth who perished fighting the military rule? They’re all dead now, and you tell the parents to forget it?)

Atienza and his running mate, presidential candidate and Senator Manny Pacquiao, stressed the importance of the younger Marcos apologizing for his family’s role in the martial law period.

This was after members of the family including Marcos and his sister, Senator Imee Marcos, insisted that the martial law period was a good time for the country.

READ: You are either pro-Marcos or anti-Marcos, Atienza tells aspirants 

For him, Atienza said that he had already forgiven the late dictator, but his family must admit to the wrongs committed during the dark part of the country’s history.

He said that such admission is essential so that the Marcoses — if ever they get elected to power — would not think that the martial law rule is actually good and repeat it.

“I’ve forgiven the family, but I will never forget what martial law did to my own life and to the lives of millions of Filipinos.  So do not deny, do not revise history so that we may learn from it and so that you will not repeat it,” Atienza said.

“Dahil kung walang pagsisisi, ‘pag nanalo ito, baka mag-martial law rin ito, dahil nakalusot eh at saka nakagawa pala ng mabuti.  Hindi Bongbong, masama ang dulot ng abuso ng martial rule, and your father was the architect of all of these,” he added.

(Because if they do not apologize, maybe if he manages to win, he might declare martial law also as he would reason out that it did well.  But no, Bongbong, military rule brought a lot of bad things, and your father was the architect of all of these.)