MANILA: Philippines President Benigno Aquino on Sunday appealed to Filipinos to defend their freedom and democracy and remain vigilant as he warned the horrors of martial law under the late Ferdinand Marcos could happen again.
In his last Independence Day speech before stepping down on June 30, Aquino hailed the transformation of the Philippines during his term from being the “Sick Man of Asia” to one of the fastest growing economies. He said such progress came without disregard for the rule of law, due process and human rights.
As the Southeast Asian nation prepares for a change in leadership, some people fear Aquino’s successor, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, could take a more authoritarian path.
Part of Aquino’s speech was a video presentation about how his father and namesake and the entire family suffered during the martial law years. His father was assassinated in 1983 at Manila’s international airport, three years before a mass uprising that toppled Marcos.
“If we are not going to be vigilant, it could happen again,” Aquino said after the video presentation at the palace event attended by diplomats, top government officials and business executives.
“Let us remember that just a generation ago, the Philippine government itself was the one suppressing the freedom of our fellow Filipinos,” Aquino said.
“A fellow Filipino deprived us of our freedoms. It means that if we are not vigilant, this can happen again,” he added.
Aquino had warned last month during the election campaign that Duterte, the then frontrunner in the race to replace him as leader, carried similar dangers to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
Duterte has promised to end crime within six months of his presidency by ordering security forces to kill tens of thousands of suspected criminals, then pardon himself if he is found guilty of mass murder.
Tough talk
Duterte, who takes office on June 30, has been accused of running vigilante squads that have killed more than 1,000 suspected criminals in the southern city of Davao where he has been the long-time mayor.
At times he has boasted about his involvement — but on other occasions denied any links to the vigilantes.
Duterte has also warned that as president he will shut down Congress and establish a revolutionary government if lawmakers do not endorse his policies.
During the election Marcos’ son and namesake narrowly lost the separate vice presidential contest.
The popular Aquino was barred from seeking a second term by the post-Marcos constitution that limited presidencies to a single six-year term.
Duterte remains hugely popular despite his comments about extrajudicial killings, calling bishops “sons of whores” and a joke about a murdered rape victim.
His latest controversial comment saying journalists were “not exempted from assassination” raised concerns, though he later clarified that he does “not condone nor tolerate killing of journalists, regardless of the motive of the killers, or the reason for their killing.”
Duterte has also said he would allow the burial of Marcos at the Philippines’ heroes’ cemetery, despite strong opposition led by the Aquino family.
Marcos’ son and namesake said on Saturday his father’s body, which remains in a glass coffin in a mausoleum in his hometown Ilocos Norte, would be transferred to the heroes’ cemetery possibly in September.
Marcos, who ran and lost the vice presidency in the May 9 election, said he and Duterte discussed the burial plans and the possibility of a Cabinet position for him in the new administration in a meeting in Davao City over the weekend.
In his speech on Sunday, Aquino said, “Now that we’re entering a new chapter in our history, let us not forget that freedom must be guarded and nurtured. We must strive to achieve and fight for all things that matter.”
“All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing,” he said, using a quote usually attributed to British statesman Edmund Burke.
Defend freedom, Philippines’ Aquino says ahead of Duterte handover
Defend freedom, Philippines’ Aquino says ahead of Duterte handover
