• Home
  • About me
  • My Privacy Policy

Inside Philippine politics & beyond

Confirmed: Bongbong and Imee Marcos are guests at Rodrigo Duterte’s presidential inauguration

June 29, 2016

Share:
Twitter0
Facebook0
LinkedIn0
Pinterest0

It’s no wonder Vice-President Leni Robredo is excluded

By Raïssa Robles

The legally elected vice president isn’t welcome. But the children of the country’s worst political criminal will be honored guests.

The late dictator Ferdinand Marcos’ daughter Imee herself confirmed that she was going to Malacañang Palace tomorrow for the presidential inauguration. Earlier, I had voiced my suspicion that this was the real reason Robredo was left out in the cold. You can read my article here. 

Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos also replied – upon questioning from ABS-CBN’s TV Patrol reporter Doris Bigornia during an ambush interview today – that her brother Ferdinand Bongbong Jr. is also a guest and they will both be there to represent their mother Imelda.

It must be a bittersweet trip for the siblings who called the palace home for 21 years. And who really thought that this year would see Bongbong being sworn in as the country’s vice-president.

By cold-shouldering Vice-President Leni Robredo, it is quite clear that President Rodrigo Duterte has not moved on and his call for the healing of the nation’s political rifts rings hollow.

For the first time in the country’s history, the President and the Vice-President will be sworn into office in separate locations underscoring the wide divide in the nation.

The inauguration of the president and the vice-president, which should have been the time for coming together as a nation, is instead the starting bell for more political division.

Personally, I view this and what is about to happen as more lessons for learning democracy. Many Filipinos seem to find democracy a concept difficult to understand and to value. The next few years will show Filipinos how democracy is like air – you can’t see it, but you’ll definitely miss it when you’re deprived of it.

Many Duterte supporters have asked me on Facebook and Twitter, why am I so foreboding? Why don’t I give Duterte a chance to make a difference?

The question presumes that I am a significant voice, which I assure you I am not. I’m just a kibitzer, an usisero.

As a journalist, I always look for the signs the way a fisherman looks at the sky for any coming storm.

This is one reason why, for me, it is very important for the independent media to be able to cover the presidential inauguration – not remotely via a monitor, but up close right in the crowds. So they can see who the guests are and talk to them. The media can be the eyes and ears of the public.

It is quite important for the media to watch closely who have access to the presidential palace. Because these are the people who can whisper into President Duterte’s ear and sway him to sign or shelve contracts, decide policies or appoint certain people to sensitive posts.

This early, we can see that the Marcos star is rising, despite Bongbong’s electoral defeat. By next year, Bongbong will be a cabinet secretary. This leads one to suspect that the Duterte administration was meant to pave the way for Bongbong Marcos’ rise to the top.

It would be quite interesting to see what President Duterte will do with the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) that is to this day pursuing the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses.

Many people have told me to “move on”. Stop obsessing on Marcos.

How can we as a nation move on when there has been no justice? No apologies and no remorse. It was Ferdinand Marcos who caused the death of thousands of our Muslim brothers during and after the Mindanao wars. It was Marcos who decimated the brightest of one entire generation. It was Marcos who bankrupted the nation. It was Marcos who left one out of every two Filipinos impoverished by the time he fled.

We are only now beginning to recover as a nation.

The Marcoses have never said sorry for what their father did. Instead, they have insisted that they have the right to inherit and use all that ill-gotten wealth that their father stole.

So for me, their presence in Malacañang Palace on the president’s inauguration day mocks the sacrifices that Muslims, Christians, communists, and moderates endured during Martial Law. And it’s a green light for future grafters of this country.

Tagged With: Bongbong Marcos, Imee Marcos, Martial Law, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte

Comments

  1. Mel says

    August 6, 2016 at 6:52 AM

    FM buried in Libingan on September 18

    By Marichu Villanueva (The Philippine Star) | Updated August 6, 2016 – 1:00am

    MANILA, Philippines – All is set for the burial of the late president Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City on Sept. 18, his son and namesake, former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., disclosed yesterday.

    Their family has, in fact, started preparations for the interment rites that include military honors, according to Marcos.

    He said President Duterte has given the go-signal for his family to finally bury his father at Libingan during a meeting with him at Malacañang earlier this week.

    Yesterday, over lunch with selected editors, Marcos said he and older sister, Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, have been coordinating with key officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that administers the heroes’ cemetery.

    – http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/08/06/1610556/fm-buried-libingan-september-18

  2. Maxima says

    July 8, 2016 at 1:47 AM

    Fascinating!
    Who has the upper hand? Great to know that at the end of the day, the right thing will prevail. Thank God.
    BBM, eat your heart out.

    http://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/07/07/16/watch-rody-to-leni-pwede-ka-housing-maam

  3. emerald says

    July 7, 2016 at 2:56 AM

    Mr. President always said that CORRUPTION should be stop and it starts now, and look whats in his side the MARCOSES, RAMOS, ESTRADA these are CORRUPT LEADER. so what is corrupt to Mr. President is? For me you corruption is every where. Even here in America there are corruption but the difference is you can be caught and put to jail. But to my country Philippines look where these people FREE and even back to POSITION. So i want to ask the President to explain what is corruption?

  4. drill down says

    July 5, 2016 at 4:46 PM

    https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/347719

    Teach anti-corruption studies in kindergartens, says Dr M

    “Leaders must ensure that educators emphasise this (rejection of corruption) from the kindergarten to school levels,” he added in his latest blog posting.

    • drill down says

      July 5, 2016 at 4:50 PM

      this is definitely superior to lee kuan yew’s rationalization for dictatorship.

      • vander says

        July 5, 2016 at 7:49 PM

        agree

    • Maxima says

      July 6, 2016 at 6:00 AM

      It’s good to have these anti corruption lessons taught at school. However, it is absolutely a sad situation if we have to depend on our school system to cultivate the core values of honesty, forthrightness, hard work, etc. which must be inculcated in our homes. It is critical to plant the seeds during their formative years.
      However, I suppose better late than later.

« Older Comments
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist Then they came fof the Trade Unionists, and I did not out speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me— And there was no one left to speak for me. —Martin Niemöller (1892-1984)

Subscribe to raissarobles.com

Please select all the ways you would like to hear from raissarobles.com:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website.

This blog uses MailChimp as a mass mailing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to MailChimp but only for processing. Learn more about MailChimp's privacy practices here.

Christopher “Bong” Go is a billionaire – Duterte

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NmX1Px57cI

Find more of my articles by typing here:

My Stories (2009 – Present)

Cyber-Tambayan on Twitter:

Tweets by raissawriter

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Decline Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT