Marcos holiday draws wrath of rights groups
MANILA — Pro-democracy activists on Monday protested the Philippine president’s declaration of a provincial holiday marking the birthday of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, and other steps they said promote a political rehabilitation of his family.
More than 150 people rallied outside the national Heroes’ Cemetery in metropolitan Manila as the Marcos family and guests celebrated his 100th birthday. Marcos was ousted in a 1986 “people power” revolt and died in Hawaii three years later.
With riot police standing by, the protesters burned portraits combining half of Marcos’ face with half of President Rodrigo Duterte’s face. Others held placards reading “Marcos no hero.” Pro-Marcos supporters yelled his name in a separate rally nearby.
“This ‘celebration’ is part of the political rehabilitation of the Marcoses, courtesy of President Duterte,” said protest leader Bonifacio Ilagan. “Marcos has never been worthy of a tribute, not even a provincial holiday. To glorify Marcos is to absolve him of his crimes against the Filipino people.”
Duterte, whose presidential campaign was backed by one of Marcos’ daughters, has declared Marcos’ birthday a holiday in the late president’s northern home province of Ilocos Norte. In November, he approved Marcos’ burial in a secrecyshrouded ceremony in Heroes’ Cemetery, shocking democracy and rights advocates and sparking protests.
Duterte has defended his pro-Marcos actions. “Why? What’s wrong?” Duterte asked during a news conference over the weekend when asked about his holiday declaration. “He was a president; to the Ilocanos, he was the greatest president,” he said.
Last month, Dutertehe said the Marcos family has indicated a willingness to return an unspecified amount of money and “a few gold bars” to help ease the government’s expected budget deficit. Duterte said without elaborating that he was considering designating three people to negotiate with the Marcoses over the return of the assets.
Marcos died without admitting wrongdoing, including accusations that he and his family amassed an estimated $5 billion to $10 billion fortune while he was in power.
He placed the Philippines under martial rule in 1972, a year before his term was to expire. He padlocked Congress, ordered the arrest of political rivals and left-wing activists and ruled by decree.
A Hawaii court found Marcos liable for human rights violations and awarded $2 billion from his estate to compensate more than 9,000 Filipinos who filed a lawsuit against him for torture, incarceration, extrajudicial killings and disappearances.