Sen. Bongbong Marcos Jr. announces his intention to run for vice president in Intramuros, Manila, on Saturday. NESTOR CORRALES/INQUIRER.net
Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., who is also running for vice president in 2016, said he is against filing of criminal charges against President Benigno Aquino III and his Cabinet members after they step down from office.
Marcos made no mention what criminal charges would be possibly filed against Aquino and his officials, but it could be recalled that Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, chairman of the Senate committee on justice and human rights, had expressed belief that the President could face charges in the future over the implementation of the Disbursement Acceleration Program, which had been allegedly misused to advance Aquino’s political agenda. Even Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda had said Aquino is not discounting the possibility that he will face charges after his term expires in 2016, also the year when he loses his immunity from suit.
“Quite the contrary, I would speak out strongly against it….That kind of policy, look where it’s taken us: where the lives of ordinary Filipinos have not improved because we have conducted that policy. The unity of the country has been torn apart, and without that unity, we cannot move forward,” Marcos said when asked over ANC Headstart on Monday.
Last week, he expressed his intention to run for vice president in next year’s elections. He is expected to file his candidacy but he won’t have a running mate as of posting time.
The son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos stressed to work towards the unity of Filipinos.
He said that the Executive Department should not pursue a policy of going after political enemies because this would only result in disunity and polarization of the country. He clarified, however, that if any group or citizen feels that a former public official must be held answerable for any wrongdoing, they should go to the court for appropriate action.
Aquinos and the Marcoses have decades old political rift.
“It cannot be the policy of government to do nothing but run after whoever their political enemies were before and to wreak some kind of vengeance on them,” Marcos said.