MANILA, Philippines – Speaking before a crowd of over 2,000 youth from all over the country, Liberal Party standard bearer Manuel Roxas II set the record straight when it came to comparisons between the current administration and that of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
“Hindi, hindi totoo iyan (That’s not true),” said Roxas on Saturday, November 21, when asked about claims online that under the late strongman’s administration, the country economy was better off than it is today.
“Ang paglago ng ekonomoniya [during Marcos’ time], nasa 3% lang sa bawat taon. Itong nakaraang taon sa Daang Matuwid, ang paglago ng ekonomiya ay mahigit 6% bawat taon,” added Roxas during a Q and A organized by his youth supporters at the Kia Theatre in Cubao, Quezon City.
(The economy grew by around 3% yearly during Marcos’ time. But under Daang Matuwid, the economy grew an average of 6% yearly)
Economy growth aside, Roxas said two things clearly set President Benigno Aquino III’s administration apart from that of the late dictator.
“Sa Daang Matuwid, una, hindi tayo nagnakaw ng pera ng taong bayan… pangalawa, walang halimbawa ng libu-libo, daan-daan na tao na naging biktima ng karahasan,” he said.
(Under Daang Matuwid, we did not steal from the government’s coffers. Second, there are no instances of thousands, hundreds being victims of human rights violations.)
“Daang Matuwid” is the current administration’s tagline for its good governance, transparency, and anti-corruption platform. It’s also at the center of Roxas’ 2016 campaign, which hinges on the promise of its continuity.
When asked by reporters about young peoples’ impressions that the Philippines was better off under a Marcos dictatorship, Roxas said it was proof of “never ending propaganda.”
“Marami ang umaasa na babalik tayo sa mga sistema na mga kalakaran noong nakaraan (Many want is to go back to the system and ways of the past),” said Roxas in a chance interview with reporters.
Roxas said the problems government faces today, including those being solved by the current administration, were caused by “corruption of past decades.”
“Kaya dapat patuloy ang ating pagiging alerto at pagmamasid dahil parati nalang may mga puwersa sa ating lipunan na nag-aantay lang ng pagkakataon na ibalik tayo sa malubak, baluktot, ma-corrupt na nakaraan,” he said.
(So we need to be vigilant and alert because there will always be forces in society that are just waiting for us to go back to the corrupt past.)
Malacañang in the past urged the public to help the youth– particularly those who were born after Martial Law – to understand why the country should never go through that phase in history again.
Marcos governed the Philippines for more than 2 decades, in a regime marred by corruption and human rights violations. National debt also balooned under the Marcos administration.
It was the death of the current president’s father, Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., that sparked the People Power Revolution which in turn, put President Aquino’s mother, the late Corazon Aquino, into power.
In the two decades following their ouster from power and exile, the Marcos family has slowly regained their status in Philippine politics. Former first lady Imelda Marcos represents Ilocos Norte in Congress, daughter Imee Marcos is governor of the same province, while his namesake and only son Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is a senator seeking the vice presidency in 2016.
Senator Marcos had earlier said their election into power was a sign that Filipinos had already forgotten his late father for the dark days of Martial Law.
The current Aquino administration has had its fare share of criticism over corruption and human rights issues too.
Known to be harsh in chasing after corrupt politicians, the administration has supposedly treated allies accused of pocketing public finds with kid gloves. Two sitting senators, both from the opposition, are currently under detention over their alleged involvement in a multi-million pork barrel scam.
Most recently, the Aquino administration has been criticized over its supposed inaction in the killings of the Lumad, an indigenous group from Mindanao. – Rappler.com