MALACAÑANG said Thursday that the Aquino family will not reconcile with the Marcoses if there is no justice.
“President Aquino has said time and again that there can be no reconciliation without justice,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. during a press briefing in Malacañang.
“While it may be easy to say ‘just move on,’ we believe that in so doing, we will not be doing justice to the thousands of families whose members suffered violence during the dictatorship,” Coloma said.
Coloma was reacting to a statement by vice presidential candidate and Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., that President Benigno Aquino III should move on from the Martial Law years, and that the election of several Marcoses to public office was a sign of their vindication.
Coloma noted that the Human Rights Claims Board has received 75,000 claims against abuses committed during Martial Law under the senator’s late father, President Ferdinand Marcos.
Evidently, Coloma said, the 75,000 claimants did not accept Marcos’ view that election meant vindication.
“Moreover, the President also believes that it is important to educate the Filipino youth who were born after the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution on the importance of the values of freedom and democracy,” Coloma said.
The senator is the only son of the late President Marcos, who ruled the country for two decades, nine years of which were under Martial Law.
Since Marcos’ ouster in 1986 in the People Power Revolution, members of the Marcos family have been elected to public office, with the senator having served for more than 20 years. His older sister, Imee Marcos-Manotoc, is the governor of Ilocos Norte, while his mother, Imelda Marcos, is an elected representative of their province.
During an ABS-CBN public affairs program, Marcos was asked if being elected to public office was an indication that Filipinos had forgiven them, Marcos answered: “Perhaps yes. They are voting for us.”
The Palace on Thursday also rejected Marcos’ suggestion that Aquino should apologize for the death of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos who died in January while on a covert mission authorized by the President.
“This has long been discussed and that the President had delivered speeches before regarding what happened in Mamasapano,” Coloma said.
“The President has already assumed responsibility for the incident.”
The President also has said he will carry the Mamasapano incident with him until the end of his days, he added.
“In our opinion, it is enough that the President has already mentioned this during his speech,” Coloma said.
Coloma also rejected Marcos’ allegation that the government is doing nothing to attain justice for the families of the 44.
“How can he say that the government is not doing anything, as the Department of Justice is already investigating the incident? They have filed an information against those involved and the process of the law is already moving,” Coloma said.
Last month, criminal complaints were lodged against 90 individuals, including members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and private armies for the deaths of 35 of the 44 SAF members.