Aquino: Marcoses should apologize to Filipinos

MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III said Tuesday that the family of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos should apologize for the atrocities committed against Filipinos during Martial Law.

Aquino answered in the affirmative when asked during the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines's presidential forum whether the Marcoses have something to apologize for.

While he is of the belief "that you shouldn't visit the sins of the parents on the children," Aquino said the Marcoses should admit the wrongdoings during their stay in power.

"If they said, 'We erred. We had this opportunity to turn this country greater as our father promised and it did not happen. We apologize. We want to make amends.' That I think would have been very, very acceptable," Aquino said.

"We are a very forgiving people as a general rule. But they (Marcoses) have statements that they have nothing to apologize for," he added.

Unlike the Marcoses, Aquino said the Philippine government had apologized to Martial Law victims when it enacted into law the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013.

"The law by itself is already a recognition," he said. "At one point in time, a government of the Philippines, oppressed its people. That's why there's need to compensate all of the victims. This is an admission by the state that at one point in time, the state erred."

Without naming names, Aquino maintained that the Marcos dictatorship was behind the assassination of his father, democracy icon and then opposition leader Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr.

The son and namesake of the former dictator, Sen. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., said in a television interview recently that his family should not apologize for the government abuses during his father's regime.

Two weeks ago, the younger Marcos filed his certificate of candidacy for vice president. He was named by presidential aspirant Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago as her running mate.

Aquino disagreed with the perception that there is a resurgence of public support for the Marcoses.

He also expressed confidence that the Marcoses will not return to power.

"I have faith in my bosses, the Filipino people. There is nothing that has caused me to change the faith that they are able to discern," he said.