Senator Bongbong Marcos Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. maintained on Thursday that martial law and the alleged Marcos ill-gotten wealth are not issues connected to his run for the vice-presidency in the 2016 elections.
“Hindi yun ang isyu ng ating taumbayan. Ang kanilang isyu ay yung mga pataas ng pataas ng cost of utilities, kakulangan ng infrastructures, kakulangan ng eskwelahan, ospital, ang traffic, airport, agrikultura at droga. Iyan ang mga issue nila,” said Marcos in radio reports.
(Those are not the issues of our countrymen. Their issues are the fast rising cost of utilities, lack of infrastructures, lack of schools, hospitals, massive traffic, lack of airports, issues on agriculture and illegal drugs. Those are their issues.)
Marcos in his previous campaign sorties refused to talk about martial law and the ill-gotten wealth.
He reiterated he isn’t surprised with the negative issues being hurled at him. He said it’s a normal situation during elections.
“These are issues that we have been hearing. Hindi na ako nagugulat. Gaya ng aking sinasabi, lahat ng kandidato may kumokontra, may sumusuporta (I wasn’t surprised. Like what I’ve said, all candidates have critics and admirers),” he said.
The iBBM or iBalik ang Bilyones ng Mamamayan movement, is the first group to launch a campaign for the return of the reported Marcos ill-gotten wealth as a condition for him to run for the second highest position in the government.
The Ateneo de Manila University earlier issued a statement saying the academic community never forgets the oppression under martial rule.
Marcos said he would just let his critics be as a sign of respect to their freedom of speech. On his side, he said he will just continue discussing the issues that are important for the people.
“Kung iyon ang nais nila, hayaan natin pero hayaan din nila ako na pag usapan ko kung ano ang tinatanong ng taong bayan (If that’s what they want, let them be but at the same time they should allow me to talk about what the people are asking for),” said Marcos.