Roque to critics: Respect freedom of expression

MANILA, Philippines — UniTeam senatorial candidate Harry Roque said critics are barking up the wrong tree for attributing the “sins of the father” to presidential candidate Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr., who has been leading in election surveys.

Roque also appealed to the University of the Philippines (UP) academic community to respect all forms of expression, including what it deems as unpopular thought and speech, such as support for Marcos’ candidacy.

Roque said it would be unfair to ascribe the criminal cases of the late president Ferdinand Marcos to his son.

He reiterated that the younger Marcos was not convicted of graft and corruption or human rights violations.

“Former senator Marcos was impleaded as a party to the civil case against the Marcos estate because he is the co-administrator. But the estate, and not Bongbong Marcos, is the one liable for the unpaid estate tax,” Roque said.

The former presidential spokesman clarified that he had no problem with what historians have written about the late president Marcos’ regime.