ACCORDING to presidential deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte, PNoy was not on the warpath when he made admonitions to the Marcoses during the celebration of the 25th anniversary of EDSA 1 last week. He was simply “trying to set the record straight regarding the events which toppled the Marcos dictatorship and installed his late mother Pres. Cory Aquino to the presidency.”
At a ceremony honoring those who struggled against the Marcos regime on Saturday, PNoy said that he did not believe that the country would be in the same state as Singapore “had we stayed the course with Marcos.”
“Were it not for EDSA, we probably would have become another Libya. You don’t even have to take my word for it. Just ask the people who were there,” he added.
This was in response to Sen. Bongbong Marcos’ claim that if things happened differently and his father, the late Pres. Ferdinand Marcos remained in power, the Philippines would now be probably as prosperous as Singapore.
In an interview with a government radio station in the Philippines, Valte said that the President has expressed that everyone was entitled to their opinion about the events which ensued in February 1986. However, PNoy felt compelled to set the record straight when it came to Sen. Bongbong Marcos’ assertion. Valte also acknowledged the existence of differing opinions when it came to the People Power uprising.
“But probably we should also think that the freedom we have today in large part we owe to what people did in 1986 and I think we should be thankful and reflect on this,” she said.
With regards to the compensation provided to human rights victims during the Marcos regime, American lawyer Robert Swift, who is the lead counsel in the class-suit filed by Marcos’ victims, posed a challenge to both PNoy and Sen. Bongbong Marcos.
According to Swift, as a senator, Bongbong Marcos “should take steps to ensure compensation for the victims.”
During the ceremonies for the turnover of $1,000 checks to Marcos’ victims, he said, “Today, I call on Senator Marcos to negotiate a final settlement. If he is to be an effective leader in his own country, he must first settle the claims of his father.”
To PNoy, Swift had this message: “negotiate a global settlement with us.”
“It’s unnecessary and unsavory for the Philippine government to oppose its most oppressed and abused citizens,” he said.
The Philippine government recently filed a new motion in Singapore, deriding the claims of the human rights victims and asking the court to dismiss their claims. Swift said that 25 years is long enough and that it is time to reach a final settlement.
Swift recounted the hardships he went through in pursuing the class-action lawsuit. In order to pursue the victims’ claims before the US courts, he had to resort to using a little known, 200-year-old US law. In the midst of his court battles, lawyer Jose Marie Velez worked with him tirelessly and fearlessly.
He noted that the class-action lawsuit was the first ever filed on behalf of human rights victims anywhere in the US or the world.
He lauded Filipino lawyers for their efforts but criticized the Philippine government for intervening in the victims’ case on grounds that the Marcos assets were stolen from the Philippine government. Swift lamented the Philippine courts’ refusal to recognize the decision made by the US courts on the case, which has prompted him to seek the help of the United Nations Committee on Human Rights.
While it’s a given that PNoy and Sen. Bongbong Marcos belong to rival families – families that have gone down in history for their intense political differences – it is important for them to remember that they are also public servants working towards a common goal, regardless of their personal grudges.
As public servants, a crucial role has been entrusted to them — one that they should focus their energies on, for the betterment of the country and the lives of their kababayans.
After all, the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution was not just about the Aquinos and the Marcoses – it was about Filipinos, displaying their collective heroism and courage, fighting for democracy.
Political families and rulers may come and go, but this significant moment in history – when ordinary folk found an extraordinary means to fight for freedom – will remain an unforgettable phenomenon.
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Midweek Mar 2-4, 2011 Sec A pg. 6)
