Bongbong Marcos says he's open to discussing his father's dictatorship if there's 'something new' to ask him
35 years after former president Ferdinand Marcos' dictatorship under Martial Law, his son and namesake Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is running for president in the 2022 elections.
As the former senator filed candidacy for president, he was faced with questions about doing interviews on his father's dictatorship, to which he said he's open to discussing...if there's something new to ask him.
"When have I refused to answer questions about anything?" Marcos said after filing his certificate of candidacy at Sofitel Plaza in Pasay City. "My comment to other people always is if you have something new to ask me. Mahirap naman if we will be having the same conversation I’ve been having for 35 years."
"I have never turned down an interview. I have never specified the subjects that we have to talk about," he added.
But when he was asked about his mother Imelda's graft conviction in 2018—which is still on appeal at the Supreme Court—Marcos declined to answer. "Not here now. I'm here for filing."
Many organizations, especially victims of martial law, are against Marcos' bid for president—political groups from the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila, and De La Salle University have voiced their opposition over his candidacy. The Associated Press also reports that 100 anti-Marcos activists vowed to campaign against him. Despite this, Marcos said he aims to be a unifying leader.
He clarified that "unifying" means coming together amid the pandemic.
"We unify now in the face of the COVID and economic crisis, that is what I am talking about when I say unifying leadership. ‘Yan ang kailangan natin ngayon. At siguro, ang hangarin ko ay makapagbigay ng tinatawag na unifying leadership," he concluded.