Record of perfidy: The truth on the Marcos untruths

Once again it’s important to remind Filipinos not to forget the truth. As Vice President Leni Robredo said on the 48th commemoration of martial law, “Our national aspirations can only be as strong as our national memory.”

There’s the revision of history as supervised by Imee and Bongbong Marcos, who insist their family has done no wrong—which their loyalists and protectors swallow hook, line, and sinker. The two aid trolls and hackers who have argued implausibly that dictator-plunderer Ferdinand Marcos was a progressivist, the best president ever, and that the martial law years were golden. That all of them profess to know nothing about any of the crimes of Marcos is absolutely untenable.

As they try to appeal to Filipinos who easily forgive and forget, here are a few hard facts:

July 15, 2003/April 25, 2012—Supreme Court decisions GR Nos. 152154 and 189434 affirmed the $658 million and $30 million Marcos ill-gotten wealth in separate Swiss bank deposits and forfeited the same in our country’s favor.

May 1, 1991—A Hawaii court found Imee Marcos responsible and ordered to pay an indemnity of $4.16 million for the murder of student-leader Archimedes Trajano.

Also, Marcos heirs were barred from entering the US for refusing to pay the $2-billion judgment against them won by 75,730 human-rights victims on Dec. 4, 1984.

Sept. 24, 2018—Harry Roque spoke on behalf of President Duterte: “But as far as the Palace is concerned, there are decisions affirming that there were grave human rights violations committed during the Marcos regime. There’s even a law in Congress which provides for compensation for victims of martial law.”

Nov. 9, 2018—Imelda was found guilty of seven counts of graft.

April 10, 2019—A US court directed the distribution of $13.75 million to martial law victims who had won a class suit against the Marcos estate.

And Marcos loyalists—you’d better get Imelda to hold an umbrella over you while you skim through these facts you can never revise:

“Who’s Who in the Twentieth Century,” c1999: “The Philippines paid a heavy price for the twenty-year rule of Marcos, with his extravagant wife Imelda… it also led to him raiding the national finances to maintain his opulent lifestyle, and to declaring martial law in 1972. Marcos made the mistake of using fraud to win the 1986 election over Cory Aquino, as a result of which, he was deposed and exiled.”—John Crossland, p.133

Encyclopedia Americana, c1993: “In 1972, Marcos suspended habeas corpus, interned thousands of dissidents.… muzzled the press, nationalized major industries, and seized properties of his opponents… International groups protested Marcos violations of human rights, charging his government with torture and murder… Sen. Aquino’s assassination on Aug. 21, 1983 shattered diplomatic and financial confidence in Marcos… When Marcos was flown out of the Philippines, his luggage included over $1 million, crates of jewelry, and documents indicating the possession of bank accounts and properties worldwide worth billions more.”—Leonard Casper, pp.305-306

The 21st Century Webster-International Encyclopedia, 2003-edition: “After continued popular demonstrations against the government, Marcos and his wife, Imelda, left the country on Feb. 25, 1986 to settle in Hawaii. Both Marcos and his wife were indicted by the US government on charges that they embezzled from the Phil. Treasury to purchase assets for themselves in the US.” p.708.

2004 Transparency International Global Corruption Report: Marcos was listed second to Suharto as the most corrupt leader. And in 1986, the Guinness Book of World Records credited him for the world’s greatest government robbery.