President disregards resurgence of support for former First Family
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino 3rd on Tuesday belittled the Marcos family’s ability to claw its way back to power.
The President particularly took pot shots at Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s bid for the vice presidency, belying the purported “resurgence of support” for members of the former First Family.
“No, no. I think the answer to that is very obvious. I don’t think so,” Aquino said when asked if he believes that the Marcoses are regaining wide support from the people.
Marcos is running as an independent candidate for Vice President and is purportedly the running mate of Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago.
While admitting that his camp had met with Santiago’s representatives over a possible team-up, he is yet to confirm their alliance.
The President’s father and namesake, late former senator Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino Jr., was killed a few minutes after he arrived in the country from exile in 1983.
His father’s death catapulted his mother, Corazon “Cory” Aquino, to political prominenc, paving the way for her to become the opposition’s standard-bearer in the 1986 snap presidential elections.
She was later installed into power in 1986 after allegedly anomalous elections fueled a “people’s revolt” that led to the ouster of the Marcoses.
Fielding questions from members of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (Focap) on Tuesday, President Aquino said he does not see the view that “by appearing on a cover of a magazine demonstrates a resurgence of support.”
Aquino was referring to a glossy magazine, which had the 60-year-old Ilocos Norte governor, Imee Marcos, on the cover of its latest issue.
The governor is Ferdinand Jr.’s elder sister.
Aquino said he faithfully believes that the Marcoses would not be able to return to Malacañang.
“I have faith in my bosses, the Filipino people. There was nothing that has caused me to change the faith that they are able to discern,” the President noted during the Focap forum.
What should be “highlighted,” he said, “is the fact that there is a period in time that contrary opinions were not encouraged, that somehow they were involved in the periphery of.”
“In our watch, contrary opinions are part and parcel and protected in the democratic space that we have managed to really strengthen within our watch. That is, I think, proof positive that the democratic system in this country works,” Aquino pointed out.
The President noted that his administration showed that “the democratic system in this country works” contrary to how it was during martial law, which Sen. Marcos’ father and namesake imposed.