Good life under Marcos; you kidding, right?

By: Leila B. Salaverria - 9 years ago

Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

“The gall of this douche bag. They emptied the coffers which we are still paying for,” netizen rnoldrmada said, referring to the billions allegedly plundered by the senator’s father, family and associates.

Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who is contemplating a run for the vice presidency or the presidency, said that he could sense a general sentiment that life was better when his father was in power and that this was one of the factors spurring him to consider seeking higher office.

Marcos Jr. need only look at the names inscribed in the Bantayog ng Mga Bayani in Quezon City to know what it was like during his father’s dictatorial regime, Malacañang said yesterday.

It would be better for Bongbong, the name by which Marcos Jr. is better known, to ask the families of those who were killed or disappeared during martial law about it, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said.

Coloma was responding to questions at a press briefing yesterday about the senator’s dismissive comments in a recent television interview of the human rights abuses during the 20-year rule of his father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

“We have constantly said if during the time of my father there were those who were affected, or who were not helped, or were victimized in some way or another, of course, we’re sorry it happened. Nobody wants that to happen. These are instances that have fallen through the cracks,” the senator said.

Netizens were outraged by Marcos’ statements about the “accomplishments” of his father.

Coloma as much as said that the senator was probably uninformed.

“It would be good to ask the relatives of those whose names are inscribed at the heroes’ monument at the corner of Quezon Avenue and Edsa. These are the ones who died or disappeared during martial law,” he said.

Coloma was referring to the Wall of Remembrance at the Bantayog ng Mga Bayani memorial in Quezon City honoring the individuals who lived and died in defiance of Ferdinand Marcos’ repressive regime. The names of the first 65 martyrs of martial law, led by opposition leader Ninoy Aquino, the father of President Aquino, are inscribed on the Wall. The memorial, which also features a 14-meter-high Inang Bayan monument, was unveiled in November 1992.

Coloma also pointed out that when the anniversary of the martial law declaration on Sept. 21, 1972, is commemorated, the country also remembers the violence that took place during the rule of the senator’s father.

Coloma said people who might want to respond to Marcos’ comments should also get to know the stories of the thousands who have filed claims before the Human Rights Victims Claims Board (HRVCB), which was created by Congress to compensate martial law victims and their families.

“Maybe that could be the response of those who disagree with what Senator Marcos said,” he added.

Netizens outraged

Thousands, 75,537 to be exact, have already filed claims in the HRVCB. And there are still those who wish to file claims but missed the May 2015 deadline.

According to the book, “Some are Smarter than Others,” when Ferdinand Marcos became President in 1965, there were approximately 13.4 million, or 39 percent of the population, who could not meet basic needs for food, shelter and clothing. After 10 years of Marcos rule, this figure had ballooned to 20.5 million, or 48 percent of the population.

By contrast since the first Edsa People Power Revolution, figures from the World Bank show a steady decline of the poverty headcount ratio at $1.25 a day. From 39 percent in 1985, this ratio declined to 31 percent in 1994, and further decreased to 23 percent in 2002, and 19 percent in 2012.

“May I ask Bongbong Marcos what was the inflation rate during the dictatorship of his father? If anything, that figure is indicative of how the government was robbing the country. It went as high as 400 percent. May I ask how large the dollar reserve was compared to the present? The government had very thin foreign reserves during Marcos’ rule because all the dollar earnings of the country was salted away by Marcos to foreign banks. The gall of Bongbong Marcos to cite the accomplishments of his thieving father,” Emmanuel Celis wrote.

“That’s bull…..S, you cannot just say I’M SORRY OR OUR APOLOGY, there must and should be ACCOUNTABILITY!” said facq2.

In a recent television interview, the younger Marcos said he had no plans to seek reelection to the Senate but was considering running for a higher office in response to a clamor for his father’s programs and the emergence of a younger generation of Marcos loyalists.

“He is really his father’s son. He twists the truth and believes in them. Ang mga Marcos, Estrada, Enrile, at Binay are of the same mold—magnanakaw, sinuwaling at gahaman. Mga salot ng bayan(thieves, liars, plunderers. A plague on the nation),” said dlagotka.

“In good faith, Bongbong, kung talaga na galing sa puso mo ang sinabi mong apologies, PAKULONG MO MUNA ANG NANAY MO! (if your apology comes from the heart, throw your mother in jail!)” said netizen jovito smith.

“Nakakalungkot isipin na hanggang ngayon malaya pa ring maghasik ng lagim ang pamilyang Marcos sa ating bansa. Another Marcos in Malacañang? Kahit nga barangay captain Marcos lang, nakakatakot nang isipin,” said netizen bayankonggiliw. (It’s sad that until now the Marcos family remains free to sow terror in our country. It’s scary to contemplate a Marcos even as a barangay captain.)

But Marcos, too, had his admirers among netizens.

“@bongbongmarcos been reading blogs about ur father all week, im sori dat i hated ur father for so long.. now i know the truth! he’s the best!” said Tatiana Karla @mALdEeTahH.

“Marcos did not loot the country and if Aquino was not able to jail Imelda it’s because the Marcoses spent every penny to build MOST if not ONLY airports, road, bridges, trains, hospitals, universities, housing, etc. being used today..how can he have built so much for 20 years for such a small budget compared to 30 years of the ones after him…Baka naman binulsa nila ang pera kaya wala man lamang naipatayong infrastructures (Maybe they [Aquino administration] stole the money that’s why they were not able to build any infrastructures),” said netizen Ana Santos.

“Anak nga mga baka ung mga d makatanggap ng sorry anung gusto nio lumuha ung tao ng dugo para mapatunayan na totoo ang sorry oh iba namn gusto mabigyan ng pera para matangap ng sorry 30 years na nakalipas dpa din makapag-move on (Darn those who cannot accept sorry. What do they want, that he shed tears of blood to prove that the apology is sincere. Or maybe they want money for them to accept sorry, 30 years after, they still cannot move on),” netizen G. Em said. Leila B. Salaverria, With a report by Karl Angelica Ocampo, Inquirer Social Media