No forgiveness needed for ouster of father, says Marcos Jr.

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said he does not feel the need to forgive those who ousted his late father and namesake, former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr., during the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986. 

"I don't have to forgive them, and I don't blame them... that's how I see it," Marcos Jr. said during an interview with the Philippine media delegation before his departure for Los Angeles on Saturday, when asked about extending forgiveness to those responsible for their exile.

“I hope by now you have realized hindi ako namemersonal. They don’t need my forgiveness, if they want it, I’ll give it to them,” he added.

(I hope by now you have realized that I don't let things get personal. They don’t need my forgiveness, if they want it, I’ll give it to them.)

The president highlighted the differing beliefs that led to the events.

“They don’t need my forgiveness. If this is what they believed that they should do, hindi lang pareho ‘yung aming pagiisip o paniniwala. Eh ipaglalaban ko ‘yung aking paniniwala, pinaglaban nila ‘yung kanilang paniniwala. Eh ganyan ang naging resulta,” said Marcos.

(They don't need my forgiveness. If this is what they believed that they should do, our viewpoints simply did not match. I upheld my beliefs, and so did they. That's how it unfolded.) 

In 1986, with Marcos Sr.'s health deteriorating, the capital erupted in a four-day protest by hundreds of thousands, sparking the EDSA People Power Revolution—a military-backed uprising against his regime.

The clan, including Marcos Jr., hastily vacated the presidential palace on February 25, boarding US military aircraft laden with bags and boxes filled with jewels, gold, and cash.

Following the patriarch's passing in Hawaii in 1989, the family returned to the Philippines with aspirations to reclaim their political standing and restore their image.

Their efforts culminated in Marcos Jr.'s triumph in the May 2022 presidential election, propelled by an extensive social media misinformation campaign aimed at revising the family's history. — with a report from Agence France-Presse