Kiko Pangilinan, Bam Aquino slam Imee Marcos: 'Admit guilt'

MANILA, Philippines — There can be no moving on unless there is an admission of guilt.

This was the message of Liberal Party senators Francis Pangilinan and Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV to Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, who advised the nation to move on regarding the abuses committed by the administration of her father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Pangilinan said the issue was never just between the Marcos family and the family of the late senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. but between the Marcoses and the entire nation “that suffered immensely from the abuses, the greed, and the oppressive and tyrannical rule of Marcos the dictator.”

The assassination of the late senator during the Marcos regime was  commemorated on Tuesday with his family and supporters led by former president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and President Duterte saying there must be more Ninoys sacrificing to keep the country’s freedom and democracy.

“How can those who were unjustly detained, tortured and murdered move on when there is (no) remorse… any act of atonement… acceptance and recognition of wrongdoing on their part?” Pangilinan asked. 

“How can the Filipino people move on when the Marcos family continue to deny the billions of dollars in unexplained wealth that ran our economy to the ground and earned the late dictator the title world’s greatest thief?” he added.

Pangilinan highlighted the refusal of the Marcoses to admit wrongdoing by citing the humility shown by the Japanese emperor during his state visit to the Philippines in 2016, when he expressed deep remorse for the atrocities committed by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War 2.

“The Marcos family should do the same for the abuses and atrocities committed to tens of thousands of Filipinos under martial law. The Marcos family should return what they plundered to the country,” Pangilinan said.

“The Marcos family should stop using this same unexplained wealth to lie and rewrite history. When these happen, then we can all talk and consider moving on. Apologize and express remorse first before we talk about moving on,” he added.

Governor Marcos, in a recent press conference in Cebu City, told the people to move on and not to bring up the feud between her family and the Aquinos.

Sen. Bam Aquino, a nephew of the late senator Ninoy Aquino, said Marcos is in no position to tell the nation to move on when her family committed human rights abuses and stole from the Filipino people.

“Hindi ba sa mga nawasak na relasyon, ang kadalasang nagsasabing mag-move on ay ang nanakit, pero ang nasaktan ay naghahanap pa ng closure?” Aquino said.  – With Alexis Romero