Marcos on apology to rights victims: That’s personal for Marcos family

The matter of apologizing to the human rights victims under Martial Law is “a personal matter to the Marcos family,” President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said on Monday.

At the 50th presidential forum of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines, Marcos was asked if would continue resisting issuing an apology for atrocities committed under Martial Law.

“I don’t think it’s a duty for a president to be involved. That is a personal matter for the Marcos family,” Marcos said at the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines’ 50th Anniversary Presidential Forum.

While he is a member of the family, the president said his “role as president is more important right now than my role as a member of the Marcos family.”

“So, I take that, that’s my first priority,” he said.

Asked if he will apologize on behalf of the Marcoses, the President said, “That seems highly a little contrived…. Who is apologizing to whom now?”

The president’s father, the late former President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. signed Proclamation No. 1081 on September 21, 1972, placing the Philippines under Martial Law.

According to data from the Human Rights Victims’ Memorial Commission, more than 11,103 victims suffered from violations of human rights.

A total of 2,326 victims of enforced disappearance were recorded. —NB, GMA Integrated News