The millions of votes for defeated vice presidential candididate and former Senator Fedinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. could be an indication that there’s no longer trauma among Fillipinos during the martial law years, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday.
“Iilan diperensya lang sila, tsaka 200,000. Tapos sabihin ninyo na it’s still fresh? Even Bongbong Marcos was…Sabi niya, dinaya siya. Baka kung hindi siya dinaya, talagang manalo siya (The frontrunners in the vice presidential race only have a small margin of 200,000. And then you would claim that it’s still fresh? Even Bongbong Marcos was…According to him, he was cheated. Perhaps if he wasn’t cheated of victory, he would have certainly won),” Duterte told reporters in a press briefing in Davao City.
The President issued the statement amid protests against his directive to bury former President Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
During the May 9 elections, the younger Marcos garnered 14,155,344 votes against Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo’s 14,418,817 votes.
“Well, even then I said the number is a very minimal—if it’s indication to you that there is no more such thing as a Marcos trauma just look at the results of the election. It will tell you that… Si Leni (Robredo) is naghabol sila… Ilan ang boto ni (Leni was trailing…How many voted for her)? It’s about 600 to 200,000, ”he said.
Duterte has dismissed the opposition from human rights groups, saying the issue on whether Marcos is a hero or not was merely political.
READ: Hero or not, Marcos may be buried at ‘Libingan’, Duterte insists
“They are contesting if Marcos is a hero. I do not care. Whether he is a hero or not, if he is a soldier, he should be buried there. The issue about his heroism is political,” he said.
The President said the law allows Marcos to be buried at the heroes’ cemetery as a soldier and former President.
“As far as I am concerned, I follow the law. The law says that Marcos is qualified to be buried there, as a soldier,” he said.
He said he would be violating the law if he refused to bury the former President at the heroes’ cemetery. RAM./rga