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ASEAN Beat | Politics | Southeast Asia
In a soft-ball interview along with his goddaughter, the brand new Philippine chief has defended his household’s controversial legacy.
“You possibly can say what you need, that’s your opinion. You’re flawed.”
This was Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s response to those that are calling him the son of a dictator. Marcos stated this in a pre-recorded video interview along with his goddaughter Toni Gonzaga, a TV actress who additionally hosted election rallies of Marcos throughout the marketing campaign interval. The interview was uploaded on YouTube on September 13 and aired on a brand new TV community owned by a political ally of the president.
It marks the primary time that the president has agreed to a one-on-one interview after his proclamation in Could. It’s telling that the interview was not executed by a member of the press, which displays the president’s refusal to be questioned by journalists he deems biased towards his household.
The interview was launched a couple of days earlier than the president’s necessary journey to the US, the place he’s scheduled to deal with the United Nations Normal Meeting, and every week earlier than the fiftieth anniversary of his father’s declaration of Martial Legislation in 1972. As an alternative of a televised speech or a press discussion board, he selected to debate the state of the nation and his ideas on a number of controversial matters by sitting down for a vlog interview along with his goddaughter.
Regardless of the well-documented abuses dedicated throughout the Martial Legislation years, the president insisted that it isn’t correct to name his father, Ferdinand E. Marcos, a dictator as a result of authorities insurance policies and packages throughout that point have been drafted solely after consulting with numerous stakeholders. He even claimed that succeeding administrations consulted fewer individuals and teams.
Maybe in anticipation of important commentaries forward of the protests which might be set to accompany the Martial Legislation anniversary, Marcos emphasised that army rule was wanted to avoid wasting the republic from the threats of communism and Muslim secessionism.
“You possibly can examine details. Let’s discuss details, not political opinion,” he asserted. However he adopted this up with a false narrative about how the communist rebels got here near gaining management of city facilities in 1972. What he didn’t point out was that the armed wing of the Communist Social gathering was established solely in 1969 and this rag-tag military was largely primarily based in distant provinces. It did acquire power and a nationwide following however solely after Marcos grew to become an authoritarian chief. He additionally conveniently forgot so as to add that his father’s time period as president would have led to 1973 if Martial Legislation had not been declared.
It’s not simply the historical past of Martial Legislation that the president wished to revise, as he expressed intent to reopen the court docket case directing his household to pay an impressive property tax of 23 billion pesos ($403 million {dollars}) which has since gone as much as 203 billion pesos ($3.5 billion {dollars}) due to penalties and surcharges. Marcos stated the household was not given an opportunity to correctly argue their case as a result of they have been pressured to enter exile in Hawaii after his father’s ouster in 1986. This has already been fact-checked as false as a result of the court docket proceedings befell within the Nineties when the Marcoses have been already again within the nation and President Marcos himself was an elected member of the Home of Representatives.
Marcos stated he intends to speak about financial restoration and meals safety on the U.N. this week. That is ironic since he has lately downplayed the function of worldwide mechanisms to deal with pressing social points. Requested about why the Philippines is not going to rejoin the Worldwide Legal Court docket, which is investigating the drug-related killings dedicated beneath the earlier Rodrigo Duterte authorities, Marcos stated in his interview with Gonzaga that it was pointless.
“The alleged crimes have been all dedicated within the Philippines. They have been all dedicated by Filipinos. Why will we’d like a foreigner to inform us find out how to take care of it? I don’t assume we do. I don’t assume we’d like…I don’t see why it’s a violation of human rights. It’s a query of jurisdiction and sovereignty,” he stated.
This sort of reasoning echoes the rhetoric of different infamous heads of state, who assault the U.N. and its consultants for allegedly meddling of their home affairs.
Regardless of the deceptive assertions, the interview with Marcos yielded essential perception into a few of his coverage priorities. For instance, he stated the anti-drug marketing campaign will proceed however beneath a special strategy focusing primarily on prevention and rehabilitation. He additionally forged doubt on the effectiveness of the loss of life penalty as a deterrent. He vowed to give attention to reworking the financial system as he reiterated his marketing campaign promise to convey down the price of meals objects, particularly rice, over the subsequent three years.
Close to the tip of the interview, Marcos was requested about his dream for the nation. His reply was “equality,” as he famous the broad hole between the wealthy and poor. Could he ponder extra on his response in order that he can have a broader idea of equality that may make him perceive that equal entry doesn’t simply consult with financial items but in addition to justice.
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