No historical revisionism of Marcos regime — Imee

 MANILA, Philippines — Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos maintained the other day that her family is not admitting to any crime attributed to them and even to historical revisionism, saying they are only airing their version of events during the rule of her father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Marcos said they are also not asking people to forget the past, reiterating her apology for what may have happened during the dictatorship.

But despite her apology, the recent graft conviction of her mother – former first lady and Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos – and a law recognizing human rights violations during the Marcos regime, the Ilocos Norte governor and senatorial aspirant would not concede that crimes were committed.

“My family is still defending itself in many, many courts of law and we will continue to do so until it’s all settled and judgement is issued,” she said.

Speaking with The Chiefs on Cignal TV’s One News aired on Wednesday night, Marcos said they are also not changing history but only telling the story from their perspective.

“Everyone has a right to their version of their story. Ours is not a different version. We’re telling what we know, we do not re-embroider or embellish it,” she said in a mix of English and Filipino.

“We’re not polishing up history in any way. We’re leaving everyone to tell what they know. It is also our right to speak up, especially since the youth are asking,” she added.

Marcos said many members of the younger generation are asking about what really happened during her father’s presidency, noting the infrastructure constructed during the 21-year rule.

“There’s a lot of stuff that people ask about and we like to answer. I think it’s about time that we answer,” she said, adding the roads and the bridges built during the Marcos presidency speak for themselves.

She did not mention reports that many of these infrastructure projects were funded by loans that the country continues to pay up to the present.

No historical from 2

Marcos also denied that the family is still in control of what many believe is ill-gotten wealth, saying the previous negotiations with the Duterte administration only involved helping the government recover assets from other sources.

“We’re perfectly happy to help the government retrieve, recover or reacquire whatever assets that are still available,” she said.

“There’s nothing. We have nothing in control… If there’s anything the family can do to help the government retrieve any of these funds, we’d be perfectly happy to do so,” she added.

Marcos said she would use her experience as a local official if elected to the Senate, shrugging off criticisms against her family.

“My family will continue to fight the cases in court and we will abide by whatever legal judgments are made,” she said.

“In the meantime, I think I also have the right to provide what I can in nation building, given that I have a great deal of experience, I have many legacy projects that I can hang on to. I think we do have a lot of goodwill from a lot of people still that we’d probably be able to generate some unity in the Philippines, some united purpose,” Marcos added.

Her platform includes various proposals to address poverty, including the temporary suspension of the value added tax for basic commodities and a review of procurement mechanisms to address corruption.

Marcos has been very visible on social media and has released advertisements, including on television, since she filed her candidacy.