Presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. speaks during the Agri 2022 Online Forum. (File photo from his Facebook account)
MANILA, Philippines — Should he become president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he planned to strengthen the anti-corruption role of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), which the late former President Corazon Aquino created in 1986 to recover the ill-gotten wealth accumulated by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, his family, relatives and close associates.
Marcos, in a radio interview, said the PCCG had not been conducting many investigations now.
“Maybe we could strengthen the PCCG when it comes to anti-corruption,” Marcos said. “We need to study what could be its role in the anti-corruption drive.”
Creating the PCGG was the first executive order of Aquino, who came to power after the ouster of the elder Marcos during the 1986 Edsa Revolution.
Won’t apologize for his father
But the presidential aspirant said this was not the time to talk about the past, when the country was facing a crisis because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They want to talk about the past. In my view, we could talk about it, but let us first address the problems we are facing now. We are in a crisis and many Filipinos are suffering. In my view, there is a time and place for that, and this is not the place for us to argue about the history of the Philippines,” he said when asked how he feels about being referred to as the son of the dictator and whether he would apologize for his father.
“I’ve said that if I hurt anyone because of my mistake … I would be happy to apologize. But I cannot apologize for what other people have done. I cannot apologize for somebody else,” he said. “Let us allow the objective study of history to be the final arbiter of that period of our history.”
‘I graduated from Oxford’
Marcos also insisted he graduated from Oxford University, although the university clarified that the special social studies diploma Marcos received was “not a full graduate diploma.”
“I’ve shown my diploma. It is a degree course. So, yes, I graduated from Oxford,” he said.
The presidential candidate also said it was not his priority to amend the Constitution, which was enacted while he and his family were in exile, but there were certainly provisions that should be reviewed.
His priority would instead be to create more jobs by helping micro, small and medium enterprises, supporting agriculture, promoting tourism, and improving the country’s digital and physical infrastructure.
When asked about his position on political dynasties, Marcos — a scion of political families on both his father’s and mother’s sides — reiterated that “if people don’t want them, political dynasties can be dismantled no matter how long they have been there.”
“I think elections are the best antidynasty process,” he said. “Anybody has the right to run for public office, why would we prohibit someone from running because his relative is in power? This person could be the best mayor or governor … Where do we draw the line?”
READ: Martial law victims oppose PCGG abolition