President Aquino has apologized, Bongbong Marcos told

Malacañang on Thursday dismissed Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s retort that President Aquino should apologize for the deaths of the 44 Special Action Force (SAF) police commandos in the bungled counterterrorism operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao in January.

“We have discussed this issue several times because the President has several times given his statements to the nation [on Mamasapano]. He has already laid down the entirety of what happened in Mamasapano. The President has already owned responsibility for this and if you remember, on Feb. 6, the President said ‘I will carry this with me till the end of my days,’” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said yesterday.

On Tuesday, President Aquino said the Marcoses should apologize and make amends for the atrocities committed against the Filipino people during martial law, when the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos ruled for nearly 20 years.

Senator Marcos responded by saying that President Aquino should move on, describing his family’s election to public office as a vindication by the people themselves.

“President Aquino has said time and again that there can be no reconciliation without justice. While it may be easy to say ‘just move on,’ we believe that in so doing, we will not be doing justice to the thousands of families whose members suffered violence during the dictatorship,” Coloma said.