SO Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. wants a revision of history books that paint an ugly picture about the years the country was under the rule of his father, dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. This is a clear move at historical revisionism and another desperate attempt to erase the memory of the horrors of Martial Law and absolve the sins of the dictatorship.
Human rights lawyer Erin Tañada summed it up clearly: “Nais ng mga Marcos na ibaon na lang sa limot ang mga pag-abusong nangyari noong panahon ng diktadurya kung saan libu-libong Pilipino ang pinatay at pinahirapan at bilyung-bilyong piso mula sa kaban ng bayan ang nakulimbat.”
Erin is the grandson of known nationalist Sen. Lorenzo Tañada and son of former senator Wigberto Tañada, two of the most vocal critics of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and his Martial Law rule. For speaking out against the corruption and atrocities of the dictator and his cronies, Erin’s grandfather was arrested during Martial Law on April 9, 1978 and was detained for around two weeks while his uncle Renato and his cousin Karen were being hunted during the Marcos regime.
The Marcoses cannot hide the atrocities, human rights violations and corruption during the Martial Law era. According to Amnesty International (AI), around 100,000 people fell victim to the rampant human rights during the darkest period in country’s history. Around 3,000 people died, 34,000 were tortured and 70,000 were arrested when the country was placed under military rule, per AI.
Based on a study by the World Bank – United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) Stolen Asset Recovery (StAR), the late dictator amassed an estimated $5 billion to $10 billion in ill-gotten wealth.
Filipinos must speak up and fight this dastardly attempt to expunge the truth and erase the memory of the sins of the dictatorship. We must all side with and fight for the truth. We must not let the lies being propagated to prevail.
