An open letter to Kyle, our waiter

Dear Kyle,

You will remember me as one of your customers at Terry’s Bistro. I was with a Canadian friend and we were talking politics all night. You waited on our table and served us well. At one point, I asked you who you will be voting for for president. You answered, Bongbong Marcos. Your certainty was impressive. You even went back to our table to remind us that the sins of the parents should not be held over the children. I could sense your conviction and I admire you for having strong feelings about your choice. Many of the youth today are indifferent.

As someone who has lived through the Marcos years, allow me to share some insights with you. I hope you keep an open mind and respect my views, just as I respect yours.

In a world where we derive nearly all our information from Facebook, Youtube, Twitter and Tiktok, it is easy to lose sight of what is true and what is false. I’m sure you are aware that social media platforms do not screen posts according to what is true and verifiable. Anything can be posted, even lies, and it can go viral if boosted or the algorithm favors it. This is why we should not believe everything we see on social media.

The truth, Kyle, is that Bongbong Marcos has been seeding content on social media to re-tell history in a way that favors his family. He has been propagating disinformation with the intention of brainwashing young minds like yours. He knows the youth no longer read history books but depend on the internet for information. He is taking advantage of it. His intentions are malicious.

In the Marcos web of lies, the 1970’s is portrayed as the Philippines’ golden era. It was the time when the country was prosperous and when poverty did not exist. It was the era when impressive edifices like the Cultural Center were built. It was the time when our people were most disciplined and criminality was non-existent.

Kyle, I was alive in the 70’s and let me tell you how it really was. During the 21 years of Marcos, the economy grew by an average rate of only 3.8 percent. We were left behind by Thailand and Malaysia, whose economies grew by six to seven percent. The Philippines was not prosperous under Marcos, it was in fact losing competitiveness.

Marcos made it appear that the economy was progressive. He used foreign debts to create an illusion of progress, which is why he built the CCP, the Manila Film Center and many others. Most of these projects failed to contribute to job generation and economic productivity. By the time Marcos ended his presidency, our national debts multiplied by 46 times to a shocking $26 billion from only $500 million when he took over. The country was drowning in debt that it was only in 2006 that we were able to repay them. This is why government could not spend much on infrastructure or social services from 1986 to 2006.

Data show that from the time Marcos became president in 1965 up to the time he was ousted in 1986, the peso depreciated by 500 percent. What people could buy for P100 in 1965 was only worth P27 by 1986. Unemployment surged 460 percent to one-third of the population. Poverty rates ballooned by 613 percent to a staggering 44.2 percent after Marcos’ reign.

Marcos wrecked our once strong economy – and the records prove this. He sequestered successful enterprises and gave them to his cronies, all of whom ran them to bankruptcy due to corruption and mismanagement. As a result, we lost competitiveness in sugar, coconut and rice industries as well as manufacturing. That is why there were no jobs in the Philippines by the time Marcos’ presidency ended.

I am sure you have relatives who had to go abroad just to earn a decent wage. The reason for that, Kyle, is because Marcos wrecked our industries. The lack of jobs is also the reason why the communist movement flourished.

As for discipline, yes I admit, Filipinos were more disciplined then. But the discipline came at a price. We lived under police and military control. Anyone who said or did anything that contradicted Marcos was arrested, even without a warrant. Torture was part of every arrest. Salvaging (EJKs) happened every day. The press had no freedom; neither did the people have the liberty to speak freely. Yes, the Filipinos were disciplined, but we were also repressed and unjustly persecuted. Have you ever been arrested or tortured? Has any of your family members been victims of EJKs? I think you will value our freedoms more if you had tasted the horrors of human rights abuses.

You were right when you said that the sins of the parents must not be held over the children. But don’t you think the first step to doing better is to admit the mistakes of the past? My problem with Bongbong is that even now, he refuses to acknowledge that unwarranted arrests, torture and murders occurred under his father’s hand. Neither has he apologized to the victims. This should cause you worry. His indifference is equivalent to consent.

I am bothered too that Bongbong has not brought forward his socio-economic agenda until now. Just so you know, I emailed his camp to request a copy of his governance plan (email dated Dec. 15) but received nothing. What is alarming is that he is baiting the public with the return of Yamashita’s gold and the family’s stolen wealth. Look, if he is truly concerned about the welfare of the Filipino, he should have returned the wealth a long time ago. The fact that he is baiting you with it is malicious and manipulative.

As for his track record of governance, the Marcos family controlled Ilocos Norte for decades. Yet, it remains one of the poorest regions in the country where the majority live from hand to mouth. In Ilocos, the Marcoses live in luxurious mansions with high walls to keep you out. Outside those walls, the majority live in poverty. What makes you think it will be different if Bongbong becomes president? Bongbong has not done anything to solve income inequality while he was senator. Will he be different as president? Highly unlikely.

Now let’s talk about lies. If a man lies to you continually, will you allow yourself to be the fool that still believes him? Bongbong has been lying to your face for many years. He lied about his academic diplomas and got caught. He lied about his drug tests and got caught. He lied about being a tax evader and got caught. He lied in his certificate of candidacy and got caught. Lying is normal to this person. Just imagine how a Bongbong presidency will be if it is built on lies and disinformation.

I know you and all those from your generation want radical change from the status quo. I get it. We all want the same. But please be sensitive to the warning signs before you make your decision. Remember what is at stake – your future, the future of your children and that of the entire country.

Just remember, a nation cannot be built on a foundation of lies. We cannot eradicate poverty with only the promise of Yamashita’s gold. We can never attain social justice unless the leader categorically acknowledges (and atones for) the human rights abuses of the past and vows never to commit them again.

I have given you a lot to think about. I hope you consider them with an open mind since it comes from a sincere heart of a fellow Filipino. All the best to you. Andrew

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Email: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @aj_masigan