Inside Philippine politics & beyond

Why the Marcoses want Ferdinand buried a hero

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And why Bongbong Marcos is now a senator

UPDATE: I wrote this five years ago in 2011. And it’s still as relevant today. Isn’t that DEPRESSING?

By Raissa Robles

By having the dictator Ferdinand Marcos buried at Libingan ng mga Bayani, the Marcos clan will be able to erase his sordid and wicked past and have him declared a hero.

Then Senator Bongbong Marcos will run for President five years from now and package himself as – of course – THE SON OF A HERO!

The Marcoses’ ultimate objective is to get back all the local assets seized from the family as ill-gotten loot as well as all the assets abroad that remain frozen.

It’s really all about money.

It’s also the reason why Bongbong Marcos ran for the Senate. To get back all that money.

But his voters didn’t know that. They saw him as a handsome  environmentalist – the governor who built windmills in his province.

That’s just what he wanted you to think. He planted windmills in the voters’ minds. And now, do you hear him vigorously advocating windmills?

Why Bongbong Marcos won as senator

After he won a Senate seat, I asked myself why he won.

Slowly I realized certain things.

First, 1/3 of the voters in the Senate elections, which he won, hardly knew Ferdinand Marcos and Imelda Marcos’ evil deeds. They were too young.

Just before the 2010 elections, Pulse Asia shared with me some data they used for their political surveys. Among the data they gave me was the breakdown of voters according to age. Here it is:

Based on government data, Pulse Asia broke down 2010 registered voters according to age

Notice that those ages 18 to 24 comprised 15% of all the voters. And those ages 25 to 34 years old comprised 22% of all voters.

Ferdinand Marcos was booted out of the country 24 years before the May 2010 polls. This means, that 15% of all voters last year were not yet born when the Marcos family fled in fright. This also means that another 22% of all the registered voters were one to 10 years old when they left.

Schoolbooks kept silent on the Marcoses

And when this 15% and 22% of potential voters were growing up and going to school, the books they used – which were supposed to impart to them what’s right and wrong – remained stunningly silent on how Marcos tortured over 10,000 Filipinos and stole the nation blind.

You know what torturing 10,000 Filipinos is like? I made a rough calculation. I divided the figure by 14 years of the dictatorship – that means, 714 people are tortured every year.  Or roughly 59 a month.

The average Filipino never really grasped the amount of torturing being done because there was no free press. The major newspapers – Daily Express and Times Journal – were run by Imelda’s younger brother Kokoy. The Bulletin was run by Marcos’ crony Hans Menzi.

And when I speak of torturing I do not mean being made to dance suggestively like showbiz host Willie Revillame made Jan-Jan dance,  or even being hazed in a fraternity.

Marcos had an elaborate torture machine that rivaled what the Japanese Kempeitai did to captured Filipino guerrillas in World War II. Have you really heard the horror tales?

NO, because the military suppressed these.

Imelda Marcos performed a very crucial role during the dictatorship. She was the deodorizer. She spoke of Martial Law in glowing terms by constantly referring to the edifices she caused to be built. I covered her for Business Day newspaper.

It was what a reporter would call a hardship beat because non-press release stories were hard to come by. And I had to skate delicately to make sure I did not get her so mad that she would have me picked up.

Sure, the Marcos conjugal dictatorship built hospitals, roads and the longest bridge in the country. But they extracted huge COMMISSIONS AND MARK-UPS from these projects.

Remember, that was what happened to the Bataaan Nuclear Power Plant. The attendant corruption made the integrity of the physical structure highly questionable. And you and I shouldered the payments and the loans for it to the tune of US$155,000 a day. The entire loan was only recently repaid.

Without the rampant graft and corruption, the Marcos couple could have built much, much more. Because of this, I’m not impressed with those who hero-worship them on that basis.

Presidents after Cory went soft on the Marcoses

Only President Corazon Aquino was really hell-bent on running after the Marcoses. All subsequent presidents sought a political and even financial accomodation with that family.

The last one, especially more so.

Aaaaah. Sweet love fest between President Arroyo and Imelda Marcos

We don’t know yet how the incumbent President Benigno Aquino III will behave toward the Marcoses. But if his deputy spokeswoman Abigail Valte is any indication, it will be just business as usual.

Before I go on to discuss why Marcos’ wicked ways are now nearly forgotten, let me just point out an interesting bit of fact.

Bongbong Marcos won with 13 million votes when the number of registered voters was 51 million. Using Pulse Asia’s assumptions, we see that 37% of that 51 million (or those who were not yet born or were at least 10 years old when the Marcoses fled) is equivalent to roughly 18 million voters.

These figures would seem to indicate that even among the youth, Marcos did not get all the votes. It would be interesting to break down his votes according to age. But unfortunately, I don’t have those figures.

We also have to factor in the fact that he would have obtained most of the Ilocano votes – that would be from Regions 1 and 2 – which had nearly 5 million registered voters last year.

Bongbong Marcos got roughly 1/3 of all the votes cast last year.

Why public opinion is now for Marcos

Those who know a lot and those who came face to face with the evilness of that dictatorship will probably say people have forgotten.

I would explain what happened this way.

The Marcos cases of torture and plunder were mostly fought and won overseas at a time whene there was no Twitter and Facebook to broadcast the proceedings and the twist and turns of the court battles.

Amid this information gap, Imelda Marcos swayed public opinion by saying again and again that she and her husband have never been convicted. She even obtained a certification from the Philippine judiciary to this effect.

She is right insofar as Philippine courts are concerned. Wait, let me correct myself. I remember now that the family lost the mother civil court suit in Manila  – which Switzerland used as the basis for sending over their Swiss bank loot to Manila.

The family lost terribly in Switzerland after a costly and lengthy court battle. They lost bitterly, thanks to the late Presidential Commission on Good Government chief Haydee Yorac.

But again, because this happened in the Alps, it hardly made an impression on Filipinos. It hasn’t been recorded in many schoolbooks.

In addition, in the last quarter of a century, Imelda Marcos has frequently slapped libel suits on those who called or wrote that Ferdinand Marcos is a plunderer and a thief. That has had a chilling effect on school book authors.

Marcos gambit – a hero’s burial

The family’s latest gambit is to bury Ferdinand Marcos at Libingan ng mga Bayani – the Heroes’ Cemetery. That could  also bury the long-pending court suits accusing Ferdinand and Imelda with financial shenanigans.

The reason why these court suits have hardly moved is that the Marcoses have intentionally delayed them by changing lawyers again and again. Also, as I said earlier, the Philippine presidents who came after Cory used the court cases as a leverage for a financial compromise settlement.

Maybe, the present government could institute weekly hearings to have Imelda Marcos’ dollar-salting cases resolved. She thought she had already thrown them out of court but the Supreme Court reversed this and said she has to be tried for dollar-salting.

Where are the Marcoses getting all that money

All these would make you wonder where the Marcos family is getting all their money for litigation, high fashion and expensive properties. Plus the money to field Bongbong Marcos for the Senate, Imee Marcos for Ilocos governor and Imelda Marcos for Congress last year.

Money is eternally flowing from somewhere and maybe a little judicious digging could uncover the rich source.

Burying Marcos would cost taxpayers much money

Personally, I think it’s not feasible to bury Ferdinand Marcos at Libingan ng mga Bayani – but for a totally different reason. It would continuously cost us, taxpayers, a lot of money.

The government would have to place a 24-hour guard on his grave to ensure no one will dig up the (wax?) body or spit at it.

Hmmm. This could be grounds for filing a taxpayer suit against such a nincompoop proposal.

By the way, does anyone know if we have a law that allows people NOT to bury their dead but to keep them displayed above ground? Are the Marcoses violating any law on public health and sanitation?

____________________________________

Related Stories:

Why I write: And what this has to do with Rizal and Marcos

Bongbong Marcos replies to me: The Presidency? “Thanks, but no thanks.”

My Comments Policy

 

Comments

  1. READ: The Marcos burial cases decision (10 November 2016)

    http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/10/16/read-justice-carpios-dissenting-opinion-on-marcos-burial-cases

    http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/10/16/read-cj-serenos-dissenting-opinion-on-marcos-burial-cases

    http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/10/16/read-justice-leonens-dissenting-opinion-on-marcos-burial-cases

    http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/10/16/read-justice-caguioas-dissenting-opinion-on-marcos-burial-cases

    http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/10/16/read-the-marcos-burial-cases-decision

  2. //www.facebook.com/cherilyn.butaslac
    Watching Netflix today and stumble into this episode of Myth Hunter.
    I post this here to refresh the memory of some Filipinos who forgot who made the country as poor as it is today.

  3. I was one of the students who spent a night at Manila City Jail during the Martial Law days. I was jailed for exercising my rights as a resident of a democratic country, I have that right called freedom of speech guaranteed by the Philippine constitution. I did not kill anyone nor carried any gun but still jailed for just exercising my rights. Marcos was propelled by greed nothing more. His records as soldier is even a suspect. ThIs man a hero? NO, of course not. He is nothing but a thieving, murdering dictator who thrived on power. The Marcos as a whole looted the the country’s treasury. How on earth that such a politician can own million of dollars and properties….in dollars not pesos. They were NOT born rich, parents were not millionaires swimming in dollars. It is NOT by luck they became rich. That richness belongs to the Filipino people. THE MARCOS FAMILY INFRINGED ON PEOPLE’S RIGHT, CONSOLIDATED CONTROL AND FORCE DISGUISED AS LAW AND ORDER. A DICTATOR, A THIEF, AND A MURDERER THAT IS WHAT HE IS.A hero he is NOT.

  4. They brandish the dismissal of the charges against them in US courts like there was no crime committed. The dismissal was about jurisdiction. The crime was committed outside the US.

  5. I search some laws about your question Raissa.
    “By the way, does anyone know if we have a law that allows people NOT to bury their dead but to keep them displayed above ground? Are the Marcoses violating any law on public health and sanitation?”

    No violation found but a minor and a very important one that the Filipinos and lawmakers and even presidents never noticed or ignored .
    No one can say that we are not very patriotic people , in fact very sensitive with the use and display of the very symbol of the PH independence and pride which is the PH FLAG.

    Here is what I found. Why is this tolerated and just ignored if we are really that respectful of our own flag, of its use and how it is use? It is in the law Republic Act Number 8491, in which one Section 23 E says;

    E. Casket

    SECTION 24. The flag may be used to cover the caskets of the honored dead of the military, veterans of previous wars, national artists, and of civilians who have rendered distinguished service to the nation, as maybe determined by the local government unit concerned. In such cases, the flag shall be placed such that the white triangle shall be at the head and the blue portion shall cover the right side of the caskets. The flag shall not be lowered to the grave or allowed to touch the ground, but shall be folded solemnly and handed over to the heirs of the deceased.

    I have to say the use of the PH flag for display for unconventional use , like what the MARCOSES do, the duration , time and personal purpose defy the law itself as to the use of the symbol of the FILIPINO PEOPLE FOR RESPECT OF THE FLAG. Keeping the dead for decades and display or use the FILIPINO symbol of reverence is very wrong and manipulative to me ,,,, farther.,,

    SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy – Reverence and respect shall at all times be accorded the flag, the anthem and other national symbols which embody the national ideals and traditions and which express the principles of sovereignty and national solidarity. The heraldic items and devices shall seek to manifest the national virtues and to inculcate in the minds and hearts of our people a just pride in their native land, fitting respect and affection for the national flag and anthem, and the proper use of the national motto, coat-of-arms and other heraldic items and devices.

    Lawmakers, what have become of you? I pray!

  6. Points well taken. Now can you please write on why President Duterte is so keen on burying non-hero sa Libingan ng mga Bayani?? How indebted is he to the Marcoses??

  7. Mam, I have lived the pre-martial law days having been born in 1960, and have seen the emergence of Ferdinand E. Marcos from 1965 to his downfall in 1986..If they intend to buried him in Libingan ng Mga Bayani, let them make sure the real remains are to be buried..not the wax image or body that was for years encased in a glass box, it will be a first time a waxed image of FEM will be buried there..believe it or not.

  8. Ask ko lang po, bakit nga ba hindi napag aaralan sa school ang History ng mga Presidente, esp. about Marcos dictatorship and his wrong doings? Dapat siguro sa grade school inuumpisahan na refresh ang mga bugok na Presidente.

  9. We should never forget the Marcos, they are the causes of all where we are now. My youth has been stolen from me because of them. The Philippines is in a quagmire because of their greed and avarice. Thank you Raissa for keeping the people informed of the truth. The Marcoses or any dictator for this matter should not set foot again in Malacanang!!

    • see Bongbong in military uniform. this photo was taken in 1986, Bongbong was around 28 years old. as far as I know, hindi siya nag military. Gusto din ata ng fake medals.

    • As your reward for calling me a cheat, I will no longer allow you to post your comments on my blog from now on.

      First of all, I was out and therefore could not release your comment.

      Second, I’m not your employee and at your beck and call.

      Third, you are way out of line. Goodbye, Faye. Go post somewhere else.

  12. Raissa, let me quote “we citizens must constantly hold our leaders feet to the fire, no exemption”? So when r u going 2 hold Corys feet to d fire she ignited at Mendiola bridge?

      • What about Mendiola and d plunder she did when she sold d Geothermal Electric 2 a very close friend Lopez 4 a fraction of d value. U have to realize that d GE company generate hundreds of millions of $ yearly, money that should b going to d people but now going to Lopez pocket. If Lopez don’t return d company back to d people, someday Cory will surpass Marcos of d billions of $ u r accusing he stole.

        • Could you be less inarticulate.

          I can’t understand you when you talk about the Geothermal Electric,

          And how can you say someday Cory will surpass Marcos in the billions he stole when she’s dead?

          Pls. explain and put what you say in context.

        • Geothermal energy is a steam that comes from d center of d earth, but it can b tap and turn into electric which Marcos did for d people. When Cory came into power, I read in d news that she sold d company to her close friend Lopez for a fraction of d value. Cory is dead but d company is still there generating millions of $ yearly. So, if u add d money that d company makes every year, someday, that 1 act of plunder by Cory when she was still alive, will surpass d billion of $ u say Marcos stole. I’m alarmed that u did not know what I was talking about, it shows that u don’t care what d goods of Marcos and d bads of Aquino.

        • Seriously, the only geothermal plant I know – the Tiwi Makban – was bid out by the government around 2008 and the Aboitiz group won it.

          Pls check your facts.

        • The Leyte Geothermal Power Plant is now operated by the Energy Development Company (EDC) of the Lopezes. But it was not sold to the EDC but on an operation scheme for 50 years. And this was done beyond the Cory years… way beyond.

          EDC has an office in Metro Manila so easy to just call them….

  13. Alan, a mind that has been poison by d Aquinos is no mind at all, your mind r now d Aquinos mind. I wish I had my recorder ready when d American soldiers came out in d news, it’s way back when Marcos still alive. BTW, I’m a Fil-Am. Raissa, if d americans gave Marcos medals without fact checking, then what u r saying is d Americans r stupid. Have u got no shame Raissa? Did your mom teach u any moral values so that u will write with proof 4 d sake of your fellow country men. Do u love your country men Raissa? Who should we blame for d massacre at Mendiola Bridge and d 1 happen in Tarlac? Is that what u call democracy? Have u got no shame?

    • Faye, so you base your turnaround/conversion on something as ephemeral/fleeting as something you happened to see on TV but can’t remember? And now you can’t even be troubled to get offf your intellectual lard ass to perhaps research it and give some substantiation? Boo hoo.

      The figure of 10,000 victims came from Alfred McCoy, the historian and political scientist man (who also exposed the fakeness of nearly all of Marcos’ medals), in a talk he gave in Ateneo in 1990s. Look it up. Also check out the figures of Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International, and also the confessions of Marcos’ torturers in the book Closer Than Brothers. The figure of at least US$10 billion looted by the Marcoses came from the Swiss, US and Philippine governments.

      The fakeness of Marcos’ war claims can be found in any number of books such as The Marcos File. You didn’t read the interview with war historian Ricardo Jose in this blog did you? Did you want it in TV form? Marcos lied and lied and lied and lied. Five times he tried after the war to get the US military to recognize his fake heroism, he was rejected five times because there was no proof. No military historian, whether Japanese or American, has ever found evidence for the battles liar Marcos claims he participated in. And in 1986, during a live interview with American journalists, Marcos claimed that even the Japanese emperor (Hirohito) wrote about his war feats. One of the Americans told him, “sir the emperor has only written books about fish.” HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

      • Alan, all those u mentioned r against Marcos, so what do u expect them to say. If rejected by d U.S., why did they give him medals? U cry like a baby about Marcos records and u laugh like a villain about Aquinos records, what’s up with that? U r laughing at those innocent people massacred by Aquino. U devil.

        • aw gee against the force of history, facts and truth you will pit your lard-ass nonintellectual laziness? wow! i wonder who will prevail?

        • @Alan

          You can’t win an argument with irrational beings.
          Who choose to be blinded by truth, to remain deaf by cries for justice.

          For such people triumph when the downtrodden are stamped on, they marvel in awe that villains should be immortalized. For they are their heroes.

          @Faye, what have you contributed thus far to your country of birth?

          You’d rather be a couch potato throwing vermins at people who are trying to make a positive change to a nation.

        • What about u Mel, what have u contribute 2 your country. When I left d Phililppines, Manila used to b so clean. In my vocations it’s now very dirty and smelly. Is that d change Cory did that u r so proud of? Philippines is now a joke in Hollywood, they say, Philippines is a big sewer. Do u know why it became that way? Because, u and d Aquinos r to lazy to work and clean. So, get off your lazy ass from that couch and start cleaning. Bring d Aquinos with u, please.

        • ADDENDUM: Mel, if u go out and clean, do it because u love your country, NOT because I told u so. Hook up with Alan and Raissa, and form a “Committee of Beautification and Cleanliness” or if u can swallow your pride 4 d sake of your country, bring back d “Green Revulotion” by Imelda, same function. Present d idea to Pnoy 4 funding, it will have a good return in d long run. It’s been 30 yrs that u guys r talking, enough already, it’s time 4 action. That’s why u guys don’t have anything to show even after 30 long years. Good luck. My prayers to u guys.

        • up yours @Faye, you half wit cast, bloody mongrel

          go lecture yourself. as if you know and could do better among your equals up there.

          dik dikin mu ng bawang at asin iyang bungo mo.

          ta tapang-tapangan kunwari. hangang diyan ka lang.
          nagkakaisip sa harap ng computer at papitik-pitik sa keyboard. hangang diyan ka lang.

          enough of this miserable lot. why did i bloody stoop to this dog’s stupor?

          magpahukay ka na ng libingan mo. enough of your BS troll.

        • D man likes to lecture others, but he does not want to b lectured. Who do u think u r, a piece of shit?

        • Dikdikin ng bawang at asin? Thanks, that means it’s artificial. E ikaw, huwag ka na didikdik, yun na ang bungo mo.

        • LOL. thanks Allan, we need that sometimes. Unfurtunately she’s not my Mom. Why do u c any similarity?

        • Is that right, then I’m happy 4 u buddy, but tell that 2 Hollywood, they think otherwise. But don’t worry buddy, I will luv u the same. Nothing Hollywood can say to change that even if they say u r a piece of shit. Love conquers all.

        • Break’s over, time to go back and practice those mopping strokes for your next job

        • I know this page is the only attention you get in the world, but that’s the way it goes, now back to that bucket

        • Speculations, that’s all u have? Nice try buddy, but u miss every single shot. R u sure u r not aiming at yourself?

        • @Mel, you’re right, you can’t win an argument with irrational kooks. You can only use them to show up the general derangement of the Marcos loyalist position. And possibly have a little fun trollbaiting

        • Poor poor loyalist, the evil dictator you worship is gone from this planet. However can you survive without his reassuring foul odor?

        • Everybody will die, Alan, u lift yourself so high but can’t even figure out that. Marcos is gone, but u can steel c d things he built. Cory is also gone, and ruin d country. In Hollywood’s term, “a big sewer”. And u know what Alan, a sewer is full of shit, that means, Alan, u r a piece of shit according to Holliwood.

        • Whoooo — so now you’re using the argumentation techniques you use to scare school kids whom you envy because they finished grade 1? If I were you I’d stick to your largass pseudoarguments based on tv programs you can barely remember.

        • I’m not crying because he is gone Alan, I’m crying because Cory turn Philippine into a “big sewer”. (Hollywood terms)

        • There there, you’ll get over it. You’ll feel a lot better as soon as you watch a few cartoons. You finally learned how to operate the remote?

        • Thanks Allan, I think I’ll do that, I don’t like cartoon but sometimes it pays to listen to a buddy.

        • Cartoon didn’t work buddy, I tried, but like what u said, they’re there, still, in d “big sewer”, Philippines that is.

  14. I was a believer of d Aquinos, until they did a story of Pres. Marcos about him being a fake soldier. But then, retired American soldiers came out to defend Marcos. They said that they fought with him. From that moment on, I knew that d Aquinos r liars. Now I know why, they have to lie to get support from d people. Where did u get that figure, 10,000 tortured? Can u show any proof so that we will believe u. Poor u, your mind has been poison by d Aquinos.

      • Highly “suspicious”. That word alone tells me, u r just “suspecting”. Raissa, have u got no shame?

      • Raissa, here in d U.S., all soldiers who went to war r all heroes. In fact anyone who risk their life or safety for d sake of others r heroes. BTW, Marcos did offer to give back d medals if they want it back.

        • So Faye, a day has passed and you have not (1) produced any evidence for your so-called “retired American veterans” (2) produced a new incredible pseudo fact — Marcos offered to give the medals back? Really? Might you know when he did this? Btw he also offered to give back his stolen wealth if investigators could prove a link to him. They did, he didn’t. What a lying bastard eh? Why don’t you just come out and say what you really are? An unrepentant Marcos loyalist who is not interested in these naughty things called facts?

        • After d news, I became a loyalist, promised myself, never again b fooled by d Aquinos. I’m surprised u still have ask, r u really that poisoned. Kind a dumb. All d things u r crying about against Marcos can also b seen on d Aquinos except d massacres, only Cory holds that record.

        • so, (1) you ARE a Marcos loyalist (surprise surprise) and (2) all it took to allegedly convert you was seeing something on TV you can’t even remember. Such intellectual rigor. As in rigor mortis

        • Alan, I remember d content of d news. What about u Alan, do u still remember that, that $10b u r talking used 2 b $50b, then down to $40b, then $30b, then $20b and now $10b. If u can’t figure out what is happening here, then your mind is really poisoned. When all things r said and done, it’s $800m. Who knows, it could b a set up. They even said Bong2 was killed in London in their effort to lessen d support to the Marcoses.

        • sorry i only deal with facts not lard-ass fabrications and the facts say that the Swiss, US and Phil investigations estimate that the Marcoses stole AT LEAST US$10 billion. But wait, when you say US $800 million do you mean ONLY $800 million? You mean that’s nothing to you? It’s all right with you? I am now waiting for you to say that it was also ok with you that the Marcos regime murdered “only” a “few” thousand Filipinos. what’s a few bodies, eh? Your pseudoarguments only make it more and more apparent you’re a Marcos loyalist who said farewell to reality, fact, common sense and decency a long time ago. But that’s apparently OK with you, because you now have hypocrisy, fabrication, kookiness and lard-ass pseudo intellectualism to keep you company

        • Reality? Reality is, abuses happens around d world, even in d US. Corys government did it too. WHY CAN’T U C THAT?
          I did not say “ONLY” u did. Read again.

          Marcos murdered only few, CORY MASSACRED AND MURDERED A LOT. Happy now?

        • “Marcos murdered only few” — binabargain? What is this the discount store from hell? Poor loyalist creature, soul stunted beyond recognition

        • Alan, I did not say ” Marcos murdered only few” u did. I’m only quoting what u told me. Go back up a d read your own comments. I was trying 2 make u happy. I think u r losing it buddy, step it up, Cory Loyalist r counting on u. Don’t let them down, they r so proud of d “massacre lady”.

        • He offered d medals back when Ted Koppel was trying 2 grill him with that issue, saying, ” if America wants it back, they can have it back”.

        • he could safely offer them back because they were FABRICATED, the US never gave him a medal except for the one he extorted from Lyndon B Johnson in exchange for assistance during the Vietnam War. Even if he gave them back he would have given himself new ones MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

        • Laughing like d Devil, how fitting. Just be careful, u might laugh yourself to death. I’m still not done having fun with u. Take good care buddy.

        • Wait, I’m still waiting for your bogus Ted Koppel research material, I need to file more stuff under “incredible baloney I heard this day”

        • Keep waiting buddy, I’m not going to kiss your ass, it’s full of shit, that’s what Hollywood smells. If u want an antidote to your poisoned mind, u have 2 do d research yourself. U don’t want 2 b lazy Alan, look what happened 2 d country when d lazy “massacre lady” came into power, she turned Philippines into a “big sewer” (Hollywood’s term).

      • Raissa, please get your facts straight if you are a responsible journalist and not one of those paid hacks. Go ask Ricardo Jose yourself before shouting to the world that he is a fake hero. What those links are saying is that some of the medals which Marcos received may be dubious but this does not discount the fact that Marcos was a WW2 veteran. Marcos was at the Bataan Death March and this was confirmed by other WW2 veterans, my grandfather included who is a Gold Cross awardee.

    • Where are these “retired American soldiers? you speak of? In your imagination? At least we have a mind to be poisoned. What happened to yours?

  15. Following his declaration of martial law on September 21, 1972, Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. immediately began to embezzle money from the government and order the military to kill any political competition against him.

    As a result, the Philippine economy began to tumble greatly, and the nation lost its competitive edge in Southeast Asia. He also ordered many stores, hotels, schools, universities, and other public places to place his Presidential picture prominently or otherwise their facilities were shut down.

    The media frequently “eulogized” Marcos through public service announcements and news reports. Even billboard advertisements across the country were replaced with his propaganda messages on justifying his regime’s actions. Marcos also ordered the shutdown and takeovers of businesses in the country, then put these businesses either under the government control, or under the control of Marcos cronies. Source: People Power Revolution

    RECENTLY his son, Senator Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. is crying wolf. Not contended that he, his siblings and mother (Representative Imelda Marcos) are still alive, living and enjoying the fruits of Phils. freedom to be in pubic office, and wallow in the spoils of wealth stolen by the Dictator, his father FM Senior.

    Stop blaming dad for Philippine woes – Bongbong Marcos

    MANILA, Philippines – Ferdinand Marcos should stop being blamed for the Philippines’ woes, the late dictator’s son said Friday as he criticised subsequent leaders for doing little to improve the lives of Filipinos.
    Ferdinand Marcos Jr., a senator with presidential aspirations, let rip on his Facebook page as President Benigno Aquino III prepared to lead a rally Saturday to mark a bloodless “people power” uprising that toppled Marcos Sr. in 1986.
    “China, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia can all point to the progress they have made these last 26 years but unfortunately, for the majority of our people, nothing much has changed today,” Marcos said.

    Source: Agence France-Presse
    3:40 pm | Friday, February 24th, 2012

    • Actually the Marcos kleptocrats were stealing long before Martial Law. One of the documents the Swiss government was forced to turn over to investigators is a bank statement from Credit Suisse showing the Maros couple had opened a secret dollar bank account in 1968 under the names of William Saunders and Jane Ryan

      • U said it yourself Allen, it’s all FABRICATED, like that story about Bong2 killed in London, and d bong2 right now is not d real bong2. Its a CONSPIRACY 2 decrease or eliminate support to d Marcoses.