President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. (left) and former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. (right) (PHOTOS: Official Facebook page of President Bongbong Marcos and Wikimedia Commons)
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday vowed to continue his late father and former president Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.’s legacy of “doing and sacrificing everything to be a good Filipino and leave the Philippines a better place.”
The President made the commitment during a wreath-laying ceremony in Ilocos Norte to mark his father’s 107th birth anniversary.
According to Marcos, the way to continue his father’s legacy is by making life “better for all Filipinos and ensuring that the Philippines is protected, secure and is going to flourish.”
“And I have followed that credo from the very beginning of my term and I will continue to follow that credo,” said Marcos in his speech.
“Be a good Filipino. Be a Filipino that loves your countrymen. Be a Filipino that loves your country and do[es] everything and sacrifice[s] everything to achieve that purpose, to achieve that goal that you become a good Filipino and you leave the Philippines a better place than you found it,” he added.
Marcos said this “credo” is his continuing guide and why he remains grateful for his father’s lessons.
READ: Marcos: Rise and fall of a dictator
Marcos’ father served as the President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. With growing discontent against his dictatorship, Marcos Sr. was ousted during the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution.
READ: Marcos’ martial law: Golden age for corruption, abuses
While tagged as the “golden age” of the Philippines by his supporters, many widely regarded it as one of the darkest periods in Philippine history, with his two decade-long regime marred by rampant corruption, human rights abuses, and widespread disappearance of critics and dissidents.