President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. talks to the media in Honolulu, Hawaii before going back to Manila after his weeklong US trip. Nestor Corrales / Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines — The Marcos family will “never forget” their experiences in Hawaii, said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday (Philippine time.)
“I insisted that I come and visit Hawaii because I thought it would be a poignant moment for me to come back here as President.” said Marcos.
Asked in a press briefing if his mother, the former First Lady Imelda Marcos, would have come along, a delighted Marcos Jr. said, “Yes.”
“My mother will never forget, can never forget, none of us can ever forget the experiences that we had here. It could have been worse than it was. But it wasn’t as bad as it could have been because of all the people,” said the President.
The term “never forget” is a common protest phrase used in relation to the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.—the President’s father and namesake. The elder Marcos ruled the country with an iron fist through Martial Law.
READ: Never forget the horrors of Marcos’ martial law – and its beneficiaries
The younger Marcos said that his mother told him to make sure that he thanked the people who helped them during their stay in Hawaii. He said that when his family fled to Hawaii, they had nothing but the clothes on their back.
Marcos recalled fleeing in the back of a C17 transport aircraft. Marcos returned to Hawaii in the PR001, the 777 plane that carries the Philippine president.
READ: Marcos’ martial law: Golden age for corruption, abuses
“It’s always a happy time because, despite the difficult circumstances of that period, our time here in Hawaii was blessed with people who were with us, the locals. The locals have always been kind and gracious,” said Marcos.
READ: Liliosa Hilao: First Martial Law detainee killed
Marcos Jr. made a triumphant return to Hawaii as president 32 years after exile to the state. Marcos Sr. had been ousted in the People Power Revolution in 1986.
Marcos Sr.’s martial law had been filled with human rights abuses and corruption, with at least 3,200 people left dead.