Palace: JPE can’t twist history

MANILA, Philippines — Despite President Duterte’s friendship with the Marcoses, Malacañang yesterday disputed former senator Juan Ponce Enrile’s claim that no one was arrested because of political views during martial law.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said there are court rulings and a law that recognizes the abuses during the period, regarded by human rights groups and some academics as a dark chapter in Philippine history. 

“That’s his belief; he is entitled to it,” Roque said at a press briefing, referring to Enrile. “But as far as the Palace is concerned, there are decisions affirming that there were grave human rights violations committed during the Marcos regime.”

A law in Congress which provides for compensation for victims of martial law even exists, and it was signed by Enrile when he was Senate president.

Marcos placed the Philippines under martial law
in 1972 supposedly to address the threats posed by communist rebels. While Marcos loyalists claim martial law was a period of peace and stability, human rights groups insist that the era was characterized by suppression of civil liberties. More than 100,000 people experienced human rights violations during the implementation of military rule from 1972 to 1981, according to Amnesty International.

Enrile, former defense minister of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos and chief implementor of Marcos’ martial law, recently denied that those who spoke out against Marcos were arrested during martial law.

In an interview with Marcos’ son, former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Enrile dared critics to name a person who was arrested because of their political or religious beliefs during the period.

Enrile made the claim even if more than 75,000 persons have filed claims before the Human Rights Victims Claims Board as victims of abuses during martial law.

Under the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act, victims of human rights violations include those who died or have disappeared and are still missing; those who were tortured, raped or sexually abused; those who were detained and those who experienced abuses.

“The position of the Palace is we are implementing the law and the law says there should be reparations paid to victims of martial law,” Roque said.

“We stand by what the law says. We stand by what court decisions have said,” he added.

Asked whether he thought Enrile and the younger Marcos had an agenda for disputing the arrests during martial law, Roque replied: “That’s their business, that’s an issue that we have nothing to do with.”

“I don’t think they can twist history when there’s a law and there are court decisions attesting to what happened during martial law,” he said.

Duterte, a political ally of the Marcoses, has been accused of trying to revise history and to rehabilitate the image of Marcos after he allowed the burial of the late dictator at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. The President has maintained that Marcos deserves to be buried at the heroes’ cemetery as a former president and commander-in-chief.